Force 10 to Cadia
by ShadyDeadMan
Summary: The story centres on the members of the 35th Cadian Volunteer Regiment as they prepare to face the legions of Abaddon.
1. Chapter 1

_**Force 10 to Cadia**_

_**Prologue:**_

_**Cadian Volunteers**_

_Yuri Velekov, a Cadian scoundrel of the 35__th__ Cadian Volunteer Regiment sat among those of his squad that he would dare call friends. Among them were Raul Reilly, Sharn Franks, Nix Vertis, Lloyd Tremerin, Hal Dunegal and Jay Kremin. His best friend and partner in crime was Jen Greer. The only woman in the platoon and the hardest damn trooper he had ever met and ever would likely meet._

_They warmed their hands over the bin fire, some drank strong ale, others roasted dubious chunks of meat, and those lucky ones had pork or beaf, the others made do with dog or rat. The chant and steady chorus of several dozen different songs rang out across the regiment's base. All were at least marginally bawdy and some were unfit for anything other than hard fighting Cadian's in need of letting off some steam._

_The 35__th__ Cadian Volunteer Regiment was an outfit the likes of which spoke of desperation and many long years of warfare. Unlike the glorious troopers of the Cadian Shock Troop Regiments, the volunteer regiments were taken from the dregs of Cadia. They were not the worst scum there was to offer, they belonged in the penal battalions, but they were the petty criminals, the draft dodgers, the lazy and idle, and those in society with no other purpose. Despite the regiment's name, not a man among them had volunteered, and the officers were given the unenviable job of leading the volunteers either as punishment or to toughen them up for better units in the future._

_The regiment was nine thousand combat ready men and women strong, large for a regiment but necessary for the heavy casualties they would likely face on the front lines of Cadia. Alongside them were three thousand support personnel, medics, engineers, mechanics, logistics staff, trainers and all manner of other troopers there to ensure the regiment operated to its fullest capability. Another three thousand were raw recruits and new reserves, while the regiment also maintained a small contingent of non combatants, relatives and hangers on, perhaps four thousand in total. For the nineteen thousand men, women and children who considered themselves part of the regiment, life was about to get very difficult. It was a newly raised regiment, along with a hundred and fifty other Cadian volunteer regiments. For those unused to the horrors of war, the following months would undoubtedly leave their mark on all those present._

_Unlike the heavily equipped and supplied Cadian elite units, the volunteers were somewhat light on support. A single Leviathan command centre formed the entire regiments command capability. Ten Leman Russ tanks in various stages of disrepair formed their armoured support, and their trucks were all in need of maintenance. The regiment did however have a large and skilled field hospital and rescue, repair and recovery company. A company of thudd guns formed their artillery support, and several land speeders and a company of recon bikes their reconnaissance capability. Their supplies were already running low and calls for supply were slow in reaching them, with only a week to go before they joined their fellow Cadians on the front lines, the need was one of desperation. At least their communications net was in good working order and staffed by skilled operators._

_The regiment was led by Lord Colonel Dane Novachek. He was a hard bitten commander, used to the hardships of thirty three years on the front lines of Cadia's long wars against chaos. Novachek is a man who considers most of his superiors idiots with no clue how to conduct a war, he is highly opinionated and doesn't follow orders well if he disagrees with them._

_All had heard of the relief force that was supposed to be coming to the aid of Cadia, no specifics but millions of troops, titan legions and thousands of ships. For some the stories were just that, no one really expected help from outside. Cadia was a proud fortress world that had held back the Dark Crusades of Abaddon for thousands of years. And now was no different, even though the world was presently home to troops from over one hundred different worlds, to fight alongside the more than thirty million Cadian troops that held back a force of fifty million chaos troopers of Abaddon's Legions. The punishing war saw casualties of tens of thousands every day, troops arrived at the front daily to try and stem the endless tide of chaos that was spat forth from the Eye of Terror._

_For Yuri and the others the promise of endless war or death was not a welcome prospect, but no one on Cadia doubted the need to keep the forces of chaos at bay. For now at least they would enjoy the time they had, prepare themselves and get blind drunk while they still could. _

_Yuri sat down next to Dina, his young wife of only six months. She took his hand in hers and poured him another drink of ale as he leaned across to kiss her. He could only hope that as a non combatant Dina would be safe back at Field HQ during the long months he would spend on the front line. Like thousands of other men he had chosen to bring his wife with him, many even had their children along, the long baggage train of dependants and hangers on a permanent reminder of the human element of the war as it was for many regiments heading for the front lines._

_The field hospital numbered some three hundred doctors, nurses and assistants, and was undoubtedly the finest aspect of the regiment. At least things were generally quiet at the moment, with only a few serious injuries and mostly the idle shirkers for patients. _

_The regiment's base was some one hundred and fifty miles behind the front lines, well out of reach of the enemy's artillery and missile launchers. It stood in a small valley of several square kilometres along a slow running but deep river that ran through the valley. Thousands of tents and makeshift buildings stretched as far as the eye could see, the base even had its own sizable market where almost anything could be bought, there was even word that slaves could be bought for the right price, although the authorities would likely execute anyone found guilty of such crimes._

_To the east of their position was the 36__th__ and 37__th__ Volunteer Regiments, to the west the 38__th__, 39__th__ and 40__th__ Volunteer Regiments. To the south, behind their position were the 178__th__ Cadian Shock Regiment and the 45__th__ and 46__th__ Cadian Armoured Regiments, as well as the 117__th__ and 118__th__ Artillery Regiments. The Cadian 12__th__ Air Group provided air cover for the vast corps of army units. To the north of their position were the Cadian 30__th__ Motorized Infantry and 47__th__ Armoured Regiment. A further 30 or so battalions made up the vast support network of units attached to the 56__th__ Army Corps of which the 35__th__ Volunteer was a part. The 29__th__ Cadian Heavy Armoured Regiment was the only unit as yet to not arrive in the area. _

_Lord General Styros Markov was the commander of the 56__th__ Army Corps. He was a successful and well respected officer, although his capability was as much to do with his command staff as his own prowess. He studied the Hologlobe that emerged from the holo-display in the Leviathan command room. It was a depiction of two thousand five hundred square miles of battlefront for which he was responsible, an area some fifty by fifty miles in which he would have to deploy his meagre forces. In red were shown the vast opposing legions, some one hundred and sixty thousand strong, he would be reinforcing fifty thousand Cadians and twenty thousand Thorians from the mountain world of Thoria. Within the week he was to move his entire Corps forward, leaving only non combatants and a small command force in the rear, along with the Leviathan command vehicles that were so important for the smooth running of the regiments to which they were attached. _

_Casualties were running at three thousand a day in his sector alone, the reinforcing of the Cadian positions was seen as essential to prevent the 31__st__ and 32__nd__ Chaos Legions from breaking through and getting behind the Cadian front lines. _

_--_

"_Only another week until we all get killed," Niles Mather said as Yuri looked across at his friends one by one. Niles was the dour doomsayer of the platoon and considered by the others as something of a bad luck merchant._

"_That's it, Niles, look on the bright side." Yuri replied without turning to face him._

"_I'll be certain to make sure you get a decent burial, Niles. Just look after those boots alright." Jen said, gesturing at Niles's new army boots._

"_I'm serious, we're all going to die." Niles insisted._

_Yuri was about to answer when he noticed Lieutenant Jall Jacobs approaching, he was their platoon leader, commander of the forty nine men and one woman of 1__st__ platoon, 5__th__ company, 6__th__ battalion of the 35__th__ Cadian Volunteer Regiment. He thought the overbearing lieutenant was about to give them a lecture, the middle aged nobleman always bitter that he had been assigned to a volunteer regiment. Alongside him was senior sergeant Malk Sloane, A cheerful bear of a man who operated one of the platoon's heavy weapons, his massive bulk perfect for hauling the heavy equipment about the battlefield. Jen laughed nervously and then handed both men a bottle of beer. _

"_Make sure you have a good night tonight lads, the chances are we could be moving the push up to tomorrow." The lieutenant said with a hint of despair._

"_I thought we had another week before we went to the front." Yuri stated, his temper rising that what short time they had was going to be even shorter than expected._

"_Things are looking more desperate for our troops on the front. They need help within the day if they are to maintain a defensive line." The sergeant said._

"_Only another day and we'll all be dead, you see if we aren't." Niles replied gloomily as he slurred his words and downed the rest of his bottle of ale._


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 1:_

_Distant Allies_

_Lord Militant General Gaius Jediah Akkeron looked to Governor General Marnos Ephastus with a relish that quite unnerved the governor. All he knew was that the famous militant general had come about the next Founding, beyond that he had few details, other than the preposterous list of demands he held in his nervous, shaking hand._

"_Governor General, to put it simply and to get straight to the point …" He paused momentarily before continuing, coughing to clear phlegm from his throat. _

"_It has been a hundred and twenty years since the last founding. The world of Atlantica owes its very survival to the Imperium. Had not the forces of the Imperium intervened during the last civil war on Atlantica, there would be little left standing on this world now. _

_The profits of your noble houses continue to grow at an astonishing rate, so I am told. The size of your hive cities expands to bursting point with idle and youthful populations. It is the duty of yourself and Atlantica to honour the tithes set by holy Terra in the name of our god emperor. Tens of billions of your citizens grow fat on the back of the Imperium that ensures their very existence. It is now time for some of them to give something back to the Imperium and to the Emperor. "_

"_But the numbers you propose are quite staggering Lord Militant General. 1250 Infantry Regiments, 250 Mechanized Infantry Regiments, 65 Shock Troop Regiments, of more than 10,000 troops each, as well as 250 artillery regiments and 150 armoured regiments, not to mention support and auxiliary companies and battalions. The numbers simply are not …" He struggled to find the right words and then continued reading the list._

"_Each of the 12 ruling hives is to provide 100 infantry regiments, 20 mechanized infantry regiments, 5 shock troop regiments, 20 artillery regiments, and 12 armoured regiments. _

_A further 50 infantry regiments, 10 mechanized infantry regiments, 6 armoured regiments, 10 artillery regiments, 5 shock troop regiments are to be raised from the cities, towns and villages, alongside 550 companies of rough riders from the nomadic desert and tribes people, 15 companies of Ogryns from the mountain tribes, and 20 companies of Ratlings from the warrens." _

"_The numbers are not negotiable, governor. They would indeed be higher if Houses Krassus and Sirion would cooperate, but they will be dealt with harshly for their lack of loyalty to the Imperium. Their indifference borders on heresy. Your world has lived in relative peace and safety for these last hundred and twenty years. _

_It is now time for Atlantica and its citizens to show their loyalty to the god emperor of the Imperium. Hundreds of millions of your hives young and able adult population lay idle when they could be serving their emperor against the foulest of our enemies. The forces are needed to bolster those on the world of Cadia, for if that world were ever to fall to the legions of the arch enemy, how long do you think your world would survive if the legions of chaos were to break the fortress world of Cadia?"_

_The governor general was the head of noble house Ephastus and ruler of countless billions of citizens. He was unused to confrontation and certainly unused to not getting his own way. He looked down the list of the ruling elite of beloved Atlantica and read the names over again in his head, knowing for certain there would be an uproar, not that they really had any choice, lest they be besieged by imperial forces. The Noble Houses of the fourteen major hive cities of Atlantica – Alynthius, Aphron, Cyrias, Darius, Ephastus, Hiros, Kronus, Mycennon, Thesa, Titus, Uranthi, Xerxon, Krassus, Sirion. Sometimes he wondered at the wisdom of pushing for House Ephastus to rule Atlantica, in times like these he showed his weaknesses and failings. _

"_It will take years for Atlantica to train and equip such a force, and at great personal expense to ourselves." The Governor General protested weakly._

"_It will take no longer than two years, and the cost will be met in part by the Administratum, the Imperium asks only that you cover half the costs of such a venture, your vast trillions of credits will surely not feel the dent to your considerable wealth."_

"_The others may not …"_

"_My fleet waits in orbit as you well know. I would prefer that I return to them with the assurances that I seek and not a flat refusal as was the response of those two treacherous dogs."_

"_If it must be done then we will comply, although profits will suffer greatly until this crisis is over."_

"_Think of it as an investment in the continued survival of the Imperium, your troops will join those battling on the fortress world of Cadia, where else could they be put to such an urgent task as defending mighty Cadia?"_

"_It is as you say, Lord Militant General. A worthy cause indeed, I trust others will share the burden?"_

"_The Ragnos Star System will supply the bulk of the forces, their teeming billions are vastly too numerous and altogether idle."_

"_Ah, the worlds of Valkyrie, I trust the good battle sisters fare well."_

"_They prepare for war as do many worlds. Such is the lot of the Imperium to hold onto such a vast territory."_

"_Then it is settled my Lord Militant General, I will call a council of the ruling houses within the day, I trust you will be staying?"_

"_Of course, I wish to impart the wisdom of the Emperor onto those who may have doubts. Call Houses Krassus and Sirion to the meeting also. I will give them one last chance to comply." _

"_I will contact the house elders at once."_

"_I look forward to their continued cooperation, Marnos. Now I will have that whiskey you offered me." The Lord General replied holding out his hand as the governor poured him a large glass of the fine whiskey. _

_--_

_Yuri wrestled with the bedclothes, Dina in her usual manner had gathered them around her, leaving him little in the way of cover from the bitter chill of the cold night air. He shivered uncontrollably but gave up trying to free the blankets and climbed out of bed. He walked over to the locker and quickly took out his long coat. At least the Cadian army had provided them with uniforms and equipment suitable for the approaching bitter winter months. The long coat was a thick all purpose overcoat meant to be worn over the white and grey camo that all new regiments had been issued. It was good protection from the harsh climate, rain and snow that would soon follow over the coming months. He wrapped it around himself and fastened it at the waist. He turned the thick collar up and pulled the hood over his head. _

_He reached into the pocket and took out a gold plated cigarette case, taking one of the expensive smokes from the twenty inside the case. It had been the prize possession of a rival gang member. He had offered it beggingly if Yuri spared his life during a vicious fist fight. He put the cigarette in his mouth and lit it, taking a long drag and smiling as he wandered out of the tent. Despite it being past midnight the base was still alive with activity. _

_If the Leviathan command centre was an awesome sight to behold during daylight hours, the massive vehicle, the size of a small town, lit up the night sky like nothing else for miles around. A constant convoy of trucks and flyers brought a vast arsenal of supplies and munitions into the base, finally someone had got the message they would soon be on the front lines. Any thought of leaving for the front before the regiment was fully supplied could have devastating consequences, 'at least that was something in their favour' Yuri thought. _

_To supply the entire regiment was going to take the best part of two days none stop supplies and a further couple of days to get everything to the individual companies, platoons and squads. It would take another two or three days to get everything moving to the front, so he reckoned he had at least a week before they would see any action, despite what the lieutenant had said._

_Despite trying he couldn't quite get Niles's words out of his head. At twenty three he considered himself far too young to be contemplating death. Let alone being put into a situation such as the warfront of Cadia, one of the most brutal battlegrounds in the Imperium. But there was no point dwelling on what was to come. Short of desertion or serious injury, there was little chance that he could get out of the big push on to the front lines. But still he was nothing if not a master of the impossible, even if he couldn't get out of it, maybe there were credits to be made in some way. Whatever he had to do to get out of this mess had to be worth the effort, although he had told himself he wouldn't desert. The thought of being dragged before the brutal bastards of the commissariat should have been enough to even stop people thinking about desertion._

_Half an hour later Yuri found himself wandering through the sea of tents and hab buildings until he reached the centre of the base. It was the self styled market of 35__th__ Volunteer Regiment's Base. He walked past huge gambling tents, beer tents, bare knuckle fighting tents, theatre tents, brothels, tents where one could buy almost anything for the right price. Dozens of large tents lined up along the central walkway. Hundreds if not thousands of the regiment's troopers wiled away the hours in various entertaining pursuits while trying to forget that certain death awaited many of them. The commissariat were everywhere. They would take no disciplinary breaches of Imperial Code with anything less than the full weight of their authority. This at least generally ensured a quieter and more sedate mood than would normally be the case given the environment. _

_Yuri stopped outside one of the gambling tents and walked inside. The atmosphere of the place was stifling. The cool night air gave way to the sweat drenched, smoke and ale filled air of the tent. Several hundred men and women sat around various tables playing anything from cards and roulette, to dominoes and holo-slot machines. The mood was generally a sombre one, seems like most were down on the night's winners and losers. Yuri walked to the bar, he grabbed two bottles of cold ale and walked over to one of the card tables._

_Two hours and thirty three minutes and twelve bottles of ale later he was one thousand, five hundred and thirty seven credits better off, much to the annoyance of everyone present. Yuri gathered his winnings and made a hasty retreat. He heard footsteps behind him and prepared to get rushed. He turned quickly to see three men following him out of the tent, then seconds later he saw the seven foot four, three hundred and eighty pound frame of Hal Dunegal, one of his best friends and squad mate. Two were downed before they even had a chance to turn to Hal, the third was decked by Yuri. The sight of commissariat officers running to the scene were enough to tell the two friends to run for cover in the busy crowd._

"_Thanks, Hal. Got my back again." Yuri said with a cocky grin._

"_No problem, Yuri, just remember next time I need a loan." The big man replied._

"_Well that's it for me. I'm going to see if I can persuade Dina to part with some blankets."_

"_G'night, Yuri, see you later."_

_Within half an hour, Yuri was back in bed, richer and now tired, he could only wonder at the point of winning all those credits when they were days from certain death. Dina rolled over allowing the blankets to be pulled over him. They snuggled for several minutes before both fell into a deep sleep, ready to face the dangers of the next day and beyond._

_-- _


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 2:_

_First Blood_

_It took eight days to supply the regiment for the winter months ahead. Yuri and the others had found ways to pass the time, including dodging commissariat officers for numerous minor infringements of the Imperial Code, but nothing that would get them more than lashed and hurried to the frontlines. Yuri had waved goodbye to Dina, she had cried as he expected she would. He had been close himself, but had to keep up appearances, besides which he would have never lived it down. It hadn't stopped some of the others. Big Hal had said a tearful farewell to his wife and four children, at least the families would have each other back at the base while their men were away being slaughtered by the enemy._

_The convoy stretched for miles along the main highway route 666, a ten lane plascrete construction specifically built to get the military to and from the front lines. The repair company had worked flat out to get the regiment's trucks up and running for the big push, otherwise it would have taken another week simply to get to the front lines. Although the deployment of the Army Corps had been staggered to allow the various regiments time to properly deploy their transport vehicles, delays and breakdowns would ensure that nothing was going to go smoothly. _

_The first hundred miles had been a slow but certain ruination of the landscape. From the farms and woodlands that surrounded their base to a crater filled horizon, pock marked with numerous, seemingly endless destruction of the terrain. Including massive holes gouged in the road as construction crews worked frantically to repair the damage. The closer they got to the front lines the more worried the Imperial troopers seemed, agitated and sombre. _

_Yuri stared out the back of the truck as they passed burnt out vehicles and torn remains, casualties of the war before they had even the chance to fire their weapons or reach their destination. He knew warfare cared little for those that perished, but it seemed such a waste of life that they weren't even able to do the job they had trained for many months to do. For the nine thousand combat troops of the 35__th__ Volunteer Regiment, the realisation of what they were heading into hit them in the last fifty miles, as the land took on an almost alien landscape, more like a heavily bombarded moon than the fields that had once been there. _

_For the ten thousand men, women and children who would remain behind at the Field HQ it would be a long waiting game as the months ticked by and the only ones of their fellows that came back would be the dead and injured. For the three thousand recruits and reserves, the time waiting would be a slow hell as they thanked the Emperor for each day they were not called to the front to replace casualties._

_Within twenty miles and the first sign of the vast defensive network of trenches and gun emplacements was plain to see for the troops of the 35__th__. They would soon be leaving the trucks and walking to their destinations, the chance of numerous trucks being hit by stray shells during an enemy bombardment was a real concern for the commanders of the regiments now approaching the front lines. The road too was damaged beyond repair, as though it had been deliberately shelled for months on end to prevent or slow the delivery of troops, supplies and munitions to the front. _

_Yuri couldn't help but smile as the 56__th__ Army Corps, of which his regiment was a part, deployed into the trenches and emplacements throughout the area they had dubbed Hell 666. It was certainly a powerful and impressive sight to behold, and with a lull in the enemy shelling, most reached their destinations untouched. For Yuri and his regiment, they found themselves right at the front, the tip of the defensive line, he had to wonder at what terrible crime they had committed to be given the worst area to defend, and undoubtedly the one with the most casualties. _

_The 35__th__ found themselves deployed alongside the 12__th__ Cadian Infantry regiment in several miles of trenches built into the most forward position of the entire area, a large series of hills and rocky outcroppings that provided excellent cover and the advantage of higher ground, they also provided a good view of the enemy trenches some two miles in the distance. _

_Dane Novachek was their commander, Lord Colonel of the 35__th__ and a man who only felt comfortable leading from the front. By rights he should have been back at Field HQ in contact with the front lines from his Leviathan command centre, but he had left that to his second in command, Lieutenant Colonel Arturo Malbandian, a good but regimented soldier of the old noble class. _

_His command bunker took pride of place on Hill 666, the most prominent and highest position on the front. It was a squat structure of reinforced plascrete and numerous gun emplacements that could house several infantry companies. It was marked all along its outside with bullet and shell impacts, numerous works of hasty repair had ensured the vast structure was mainly intact. _

_Yuri's battalion had the dubious honour of defending the line in front of Hill 666 alongside 3__rd__ battalion of the 12__th__ Cadian Infantry Regiment. A whole mile of interwoven trenches and emplacements built into the hillside from which they were to stop any advance on their position. For the men and women of 3__rd__ Battalion, the reinforcement of their position couldn't have come soon enough, although they still doubted their regiment would have the chance to leave the front, the best they could hope for was some downtime in the plascrete dugouts, but at least that was better than months of living in the trenches. _

_Looking out over no-man's land gave the real picture of months and years of endless combat. Corpses and the broken shells of destroyed vehicles littered the entire area between the allied and enemy trenches. Looking through his las rifle sight he could just about make out the movement of enemy troops in their own trenches, no doubt preparing for the next assault on the notoriously deadly area, famous for its mounting body count. _

_The filthy and desperate troops of 3__rd__ Battalion seemed pleased enough they were no longer alone, many showed the signs of combat, bandaged and scarred. They welcomed wholeheartedly the bundles of cigarettes, alcohol, food and medical supplies the fresh troops were bringing with them. Many could barely contain their excitement at the thought of a cold beer and a smoke, let alone pain killers and fresh food. Also new uniforms to replace those they had worn since their deployment six months earlier. Their casualties were running at a quarter dead and another quarter seriously wounded and back at their Field HQ, They were effectively running at half strength, around eight troops to protect an entire mile of trenches, it seemed almost impossible they had held out against such overwhelming force. _

_Opposite them were five thousand troops of Abaddon's 31__st__ Legion, 3000 Traitor Guardsmen, 1500 Cultists and another 500 Chaos Marines of the Black Legion. Only infighting and lack of a decent leader had ensured that Hill 666 had not been overrun months earlier. The chaos forces had 160,000 troops in the area facing 56__th__ Army Corps and the 70,000 men and women of Cadia and Thoria who were already on the front lines. At least with the new arrivals things were brought up to a more manageable level and the pressures on the defending troops would hopefully be eased. _

_For 1__st__ squad, 1__st__ platoon, 5__th__ company, 6__th__ battalion, this was finally it; Yuri and his friends would soon find themselves facing the cultists, traitor guardsmen and traitor marines of Abaddon's Legions. They settled into their new positions, the trenches and dugouts that would be their home for at least the next six months, should they survive that long. _

_Yuri set about cleaning his las, he removed the power cell first, too many accidents had occurred with new recruits cleaning or maintaining a loaded weapon, only to have themselves or someone else wounded or killed in the process. _

_Yuri looked up as Nix steadied his long las, looking at the enemy positions, Nix spotted what he assumed was an officer issuing orders through his sniper sight. He breathed deeply and took aim, while he was one of the best shots in the regiment he doubted he could hit a target two miles away. Before he had chance to find out, platoon leader Lieutenant Jall Jacobs was beside him._

"_Lower your weapon trooper, you only get to fire when you're told to fire."_

_Nix looked at him with surprise and lowered his weapon, "Yes, sir, just thought I'd get the range, sir."_

"_You'll get your chance soon enough, make sure your weapons are clean and in good working order, if we're attacked I don't want anyone unable to fight." A series of 'Yes, sirs and will do's' went up from those of 1__st__ platoon in reply._

_Squad sergeant Malk Sloane, settled in beside Yuri, cleaning his own heavy las, his gunner, Lloyd Tremerin sat next to him, the heavy weapon and ammunition power cells would be checked and cleaned thoroughly in a ritual they had practised hundreds of times before. _

_The standard for a typical volunteer squad was 5 guardsmen with Las guns – Private Yuri Velekov, Private Raul Reilly, Private Sharn Franks, Private Niles Mather, Private Hal Dunegal. 1 vox operator with las gun – Corporal Jen Greer. 1 Medic with las gun – Private Jay Kremin. 2 heavy weapon gunners – of which Sergeant Sloane and Private Lloyd Tremerin was part of the two man crew needed to fire the heavy las in 1__st__ squad. And 1 sniper with a long las – Private Nix Vertis. The squad worked well together and apart from Niles, most of them were at least friendly with everyone else. It wasn't that Niles was a dislikeable person, but his dour moods generally drove everyone to despair, with the general opinion that he could suck the life out of any party. _

_Without warning the opposing artillery opened up its next barrage. All along the hillside, men and women dived for cover, many hurrying into the dugouts to escape the vicious assault. Yuri stood and looked around, the uncertainty of his friends told them they were unsure of themselves, what did they do, run for cover or prepare for an attack. _

_Lieutenant Jall Jacobs was beside them in seconds ordering them to hold their position and prepare for an attack. It seemed someone had spotted them leaving their trenches. 'Was this it then' Yuri thought to himself, finally they would face the enemy, he could be dead within the hour, or even sooner, the thought did not sit well with him, he promised himself that whatever happened he would at least take a few of the traitorous filth with him if he were to die._

_The allied artillery opened up moments later, the two artillery regiments bringing their formidable firepower to bare on the enemy troops, one had to wonder if anything could make it through such a barrage, especially over two miles of relatively open terrain. Yuri couldn't help but think it was complete suicide, but he had heard of such tactics from the arch enemy. They were renowned for throwing away their troops in seemingly pointless exercises, in this case they were sending prisoners into no man's land to test the new units' firepower, and no one would know until it was too late what they were planning._

_Thousands of prisoners were sent forward, carrying their empty weapons, sent rushing into the firestorm of allied artillery and as they got closer a relentless barrage of las fire from which there would be little escape, it would certainly be a miraculous act of the God Emperor if a single prisoner were to survive._

_Nix was the first to spot the uniforms they wore, he shouted to his lieutenant that they were murdering their own troops, within minutes the barrage of artillery was cutting a devastating bloody swathe through the helpless prisoners, whichever way they ran, they were certain to die._

_Lieutenant Jall Jacobs took a vox caster and issued the word that the artillery should stop immediately, by the time he had finished over two thousand men and women lay dead or dying in no-man's land. The mood was one of utter shock and dread, but also one of defiance; no one would allow themselves to be captured now. For the new troops, the realisation that the first blood they had spilled was fellow Cadians did not sit well at all, and all vowed revenge for this dreadful deed._

_--_


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 3:_

_Counting the Dead_

_Surprisingly over three and half thousand diseased and filth ridden troops of the remnants of three Cadian regiments made it back. The rest either died or lay dying on the battlefield, over five thousand in total, either falling in the initial allied bombardment or the chaos slaughter that followed. _

_The commissariat would interrogate every one of them before they were allowed back into Imperial units. The threat of taint was ever present in those captured by the arch enemy. Imperial command couldn't risk even a single man or woman being the host to chaos ideology or worse, a chaos daemon. The relief of those who had escaped certain death was replaced with one of horror when they realised they were to be rounded up by commissariat squads. _

_For the troops who had fired on them, a certain amount of shame and regret. Within the week, several dozen had been executed for various reasons, no sign of possession so far, which surprised many in the upper echelons of the commissariat. For the others the long process of interrogation and the thought of returning home were for many too much to bear._

_Yuri and the others had surprisingly found themselves bored with inactivity, although the reported movement of chaos troops behind the trenches spoke of a steady build up of opposing forces and the likelihood that an assault was imminent. The only cause for concern had been the constant bombardment of their position. The plascrete dugouts built into the network of trenches had kept most safe from the vicious onslaught. _

_On their 14__th__ day in the trenches, what appeared to be just another simple day, the chaos reinforcements attacked all along the line. It began with a relentless barrage, hundreds, perhaps thousands of guns opening up on their targets in Sector 666 alone. The booming bloody return was equally relentless, and perhaps even bloodier in its bid to outgun the chaos forces. _

_Within the hour word had gone up of chemical and sorcerous attacks, For Yuri and the others they wrestled frantically with their protective chemical suits and rebreathers. The casualties were beginning to mount, in Yuri's platoon alone, three dead and sixteen wounded, that was before they had even seen any enemy troops. Yuri could only feel relief that none of the dead or wounded were from his own squad. _

_Enemy armour was seen advancing past the trench line, perhaps an entire regiment of Leman Russ battletanks, from the traitorous guards who had deserted the god emperor and chosen the Ruinous Powers over the beloved Throne of Terra. The armour was followed by a regiment of chaos traitor guardsmen, Yuri and the others could only wonder at the scale of the enemy assault, how were they meant to hold back such a massive attack. _

_The situation was repeated all along the fifteen hundred mile front, apparently the chaos forces were more than capable of mounting a coordinated attack on such a massive scale, why it came as such a surprise to Cadian High Command was surprising, considering Abaddon was the Warmaster in this particular war._

_The arrival of a battalion of Baneblades and Shadowswords from the until now elusive 29__th__ Cadian Heavy Armoured Regiment, was met with nothing short of awe, the massive heavy tanks would be necessary in turning back the armour that was fast approaching Hill 666. The men and women of 3__rd__ battalion of the 12__th__ Cadian Infantry Regiment and 6__th__ battalion of the Cadian Volunteer Regiment would face two entire regiments from Abaddon's Legions. They prepared their support weapons in readiness to assist the armour, all along the line missile launchers, heavy bolters, mortars and heavy las guns were being positioned. The gun emplacements and armour of HQ 666 suddenly came to life without warning, dozens of explosions in the distance told the story of the devastation they could unleash, even against the enemies armoured regiments. Despite their initial losses the forces of chaos seemed undaunted, their troops and tanks continuing their push forward past their defensive line. _

_Nix was the first of 1__st__ squad to get the kill, a tank commander with a little too much belief that his gods would keep him safe had his brains blown out by the pin point shooting of the long las firing squaddie. Sergeant Sloane witnessing the kill went one better and disabled the tracks of the Leman Russ, his heavy las punching a hole right through the battletank and bringing it to a grinding halt, a second shot must have hit a shell as it punched through the armour, as it was suddenly engulfed in flame as desperate men tried frantically but in vain to free themselves from the blazing inferno in which they had been entombed. _

_No more than a kilometre away now, the front lines of the enemy advance opened up on the defensive line of Hill 666. The returning fire of missile, shell and heavy las cut a murderous bloody swathe through the advancing armour. Baneblades and Shadowswords destroyed their enemies with little fear of being damaged or destroyed by return fire, the enemy lacking the heaviest units in this particular area. But still they came, more than half their number had been lost now, but infantry were massing behind the surviving tanks, their own ranks being cut apart from the savagery of the allied artillery bombardment. The enemy seemed to know no fear, they died in their thousands, but the wrath of their masters drove them ever onwards, the promise of gifts and slaughter the driving force behind their devotion to the Chaos Powers._

_The defending infantry opened up as one, their deadly blanket of las fire shredding the enemy ranks as they approached, even the chaos forces had to be driven to near frenzy to cope with the loss of so many of their fellow traitor guardsmen. Yuri counted them as the shots hit, he reckoned he had killed five within the first minute, but they came on still, seeming to will the defenders to slaughter them, or perhaps daring them._

_They were sprinting now, no more than three hundred metres away, there numbers perhaps less than half of what they had started with, the tank regiment almost completely decimated, but still it had allowed around four thousand troops to get within shooting and melee distance of the allied trenches, to oppose them were the eight hundred men of 3__rd__ battalion, 12__th__ Regiment and the fifteen hundred men of 6__th__ battalion, 35__th__ Volunteer Regiment. The enemy artillery died as the enemy approached, even they weren't fanatical enough to deliberately shell their own forces, not when their plan seemed to be having the desired effect._

_All along the fifteen hundred mile line similar scenes were played out, in some areas the assault faltered and died, in others the hard pressed defenders were overrun and had to form a fighting retreat into the next line of defences. In some areas the defenders were completely decimated and the front lines would take on a much different nature as the enemy ran rampage through the lost areas. For the defenders of Hill 666, the battle was just beginning. _

_--_

_Yuri dropped the empty power cell into the muddy waters of the trench and reached out for another and loaded his las rifle. He looked across; big Hal lay sprawled in the muddy waters, his face still covered by the gas and chem. mask. He bled from several wounds to his shoulder, The squad medic Jay Kremin was at his side, injecting him with pain killer and treating the wound._

_He looked to his other side, Jen was firing wildly but accurately, each shot taking down one of the enemy below them as they struggled to gain a foothold on the muddy hillside. If he could see her face he would have seen one of utter hatred and determination, of loathing and devotion to the god emperor, gone for now was the easy going fist fighting, beer drinking gal he had come to consider closer than his own family, for now she was an instrument of death, a lethal killer who would kill or be killed._

_Despite the difficult almost impossible terrain, the chaos troopers were finding a way through the relentless fire, some had even reached the trench line where bitter and bloody hand to hand combat had broken out. Yuri drew his long blade as the troopers came over the top of the trench, thrusting forward and killing a chaos sergeant, as the blade sliced through his throat. All along the line now murderous combat had erupted, commissariat squads and the ever present commissars had joined the fray, shouting words of encouragement and devotion to the god emperor. Not a single man retreated, all were too aware of what would happen if they faltered here, and the treatment of the prisoners gave them the added incentive to never be taken alive by these filthy traitorous dogs._

_Sector 666 was a bloody battleground, all along the fifty mile front the newly arrived 56__th__ Army Corps was totally committed to the fight, their support of the defending units couldn't have come at a more appropriate time, as the defenders would surely have been overrun._

_Yuri wrestled with a giant of a man, a traitor corporal who tried to push Yuri into the dirt, within seconds he lay still and bleeding on the floor, Jen had jumped on his back and drawn her blade across his throat, finishing with a downwards strike at the nape of his neck, the man twitched and bled as he died, their was no time for sentiment or regret, not that she had any to give._

_--_

_The battle lasted exactly thirty six minutes from them leaving their defences to the last of them slaughtered by the defenders, the cost had been high, over three hundred of 3__rd__ battalions men were wounded, another fifty eight were dead. 6__th__ Battalion had lost forty five men and two hundred and thirty wounded, costly indeed but a success none the less. The vicious assault on the dead and dying of the chaos troopers was to be expected, leave none alive the orders had said._

_The long process of getting the dead and wounded back to Field HQ began, for many it would be relief, even despite their wounds, for some it would be the last time they ever saw the front, their wounds too severe for them to return. Hal Dunegal was one of the wounded, not life threatening, but maybe enough to get him out of the firing line for a few months._

_The troopers also received a visit from 6__th__ Battalion commander, Lord Major Elias Altron. The Major was a quiet man, young for such a command and thoughtful in his preparations for war, a friend of Lord Colonel Novachek, and the one under his command who would replace him should anything happen to the colonel. He was accompanied by Captain Irena Davenchi, one of the few female officers under the colonel's command and the commander of 5__th__ Company of 6__th__ Battalion. Lieutenant Jall Jacobs greeted them, introducing them to favoured members of the platoon._

_Yuri and the others waved goodbye to their fellow platoon members, saying a quiet prayer for the dead._


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 4:_

_Lord Commander _

_Garrax Zhull_

_Commissariat flamer teams spent the best part of the following two days clearing up the mess. With the ever present threat of taint, it was decided to burn all enemy bodies that had made it as far as the trenches. The smell haunted Yuri and others; it was one thing to kill the enemy. It was another to have to witness the massive funeral pyres that followed. For the dead of 12__th__ and 35__th__ Regiments the grave diggers were hard at work digging the hundreds of graves needed for their fallen comrades. Yuri couldn't help but stare at the forest of white grave markers, little more than a name on each one. And even then only where possible. For some there was little left to recover, and little left to bury._

_The initial surprise at their well earned victory was to be short lived. It would be replaced by one of fear and dread at the thought that this was just the beginning. The enemy had fifty million troops behind its lines, it could afford the losses, and the Ruinous Powers were never shy of using all their assets to the fullest to meet their unfathomable goals. _

_And still not every Sector had been a failure for the forces of chaos. In several key areas their troops had taken and held the defences of their hated enemy. While Sector 666 remained fully in the hands of the Imperium's defenders, not all sectors were as lucky to receive a full Army Corps to support them. For the beleaguered and battered defenders of some sectors only the thoughts of hopelessness and surrender or desertion was to be their lot. While full routs had been rare, several areas had seen entire regiments forced to flee back to the next line of defence, leaving the front line positions in the hands of the dreaded chaos troopers and their allies. _

_Two days of waiting later, the raw recruits of the 35__th__ arrived at the front, three thousand green rookies to fill the gaps of 12__th__ Regiment's fallen veterans and the fallen of the battle ready troops of the 35__th__. The regiments few tanks, ten Leman Russ took up position on Hill 666, their concrete bunkers built to house tanks. _

_The regiment's thudd gun company, 16 guns in total, was deployed behind the hill. From their position they would blaze away both day and night at the enemies' trenches, joining the heavy guns of the artillery regiments in the relentless slaughter of their foes. For the combat engineers of the regiment's support companies, their work was urgently required to shore up the defences, to add to and improve them. Mines, gun emplacements, razor wire, repairs to the defenders dugouts and Hill 666's considerable defensive network of tunnels and armoured buildings._

_Yuri wondered how Hal was doing back at Field HQ, no doubt milking his injuries for all he could. At least his wife Sharah and the kids would be happy he was back. Yuri felt relief that his friend was alright and out of harms way, but perhaps also a touch of jealousy, and the thought that it would be worth being wounded to get out of this hellhole. But one could never choose the severity of ones wounds, the thought slipped from his mind as he dismissed the idea as ridiculous. _

_--_

_Lord Commander Garrax Zhull arrived to the front two days after the failed attempt by his forces to take Sector 666. His Land Raider assault vehicle led the column of fifty other Land Raiders into General Emil Mortarioz's base HQ. His escort were five hundred chaos marines of the Black Legion, bringing their numbers to a thousand now in Sector 666. Fully an entire chapter worth of marines, at least by the Imperium's standards. The forces of chaos followed no such restrictions to its forces and recruited at will. These forces were simply a thousand of tens of thousands, perhaps more, no one but the chaos gods and their greatest followers such as Abaddon new the real strength of their legions._

_The gigantic horned figure stepped from the twisted and warped Land Raider, his twelve foot height stretched to its full and further enhanced by the three foot row of horns that extended from either side of his head. The black chaos armour was adorned from head to toe with the trophies of war, skulls, stretched and hardened skin, and the faces of his most valued victims. Necklaces of teeth and ears, the innards of recently murdered foes wrapped around his body. He was an awesome and terrifying sight to behold, the very aura of the man-beast would cower lesser men into submission before he had even faced them. He carried a heavy bolter that seemed almost part of his own body, and an ancient rune sword of unbelievable wrath and hatred at his waist, a gift of the gods for the thousands of souls he had delivered to them._

_Garrax Zhull was a commander of the Black Legion, a champion of chaos and the one who would make the traitor general aware of his displeasure at the loss of two regiments and the failure to capture anything of worth in the entire sector. _

_Traitor General Emil Mortarioz's was a Thorian of noble birth, a traitor general who had taken his entire army corps over to the side of chaos over five years earlier, after receiving promises of great rewards for his efforts. The general was nothing but a weak minded fool, easily swayed by the lure of Slannesh's demons. He was about to find out that the gods could also issue their followers with the death penalty._

_Garrax Zhull entered the command bunker, his height seeming to warp to his new surroundings, almost as though he could control his appearance. Traitor guardsmen scurried out of his way, the honour guard with him executed anyone that tried to either halt his progress into the base, or hinder him. Within minutes he was stood in front of Traitor General Emil Mortarioz's command bunker, the supposedly self styled great leader surrounded by his command staff, dozens of colonels and majors, the commanders of his regiments and battalions._

_The man stood, he looked at the chaos marine commander with an air of superiority. He was unused to being questioned by anyone, and no fool would ever challenge his decisions. Garrax Zhull said nothing, refusing to waste his breath on this pathetic upstart; he lifted his heavy bolter and fired. The look on the general's face was one of horror and surprise, the heavy bolter shells impacted with his armoured body, shredding the carapace armour in dozens of places as he jerked, twitched and fell to the floor without even being able to scream. The general's blood spattered the command station and the back wall of the command bunker, bits of torn flesh and bone, broken pieces of armour littered the bloody floor. All looked at the commander with terror in their eyes, praying they would not be next on the list for execution. _

"_I do not accept failure, our gods do not accept failure, if you are to serve the powers of chaos, you will learn that only those worthy to lead its legions will do so. This pathetic fool was blinded by his own self worth, no one, including myself is beyond the wrath of the gods. Know now that if you are to serve you will serve me, those who cannot or will not, will die here. _

_This Sector is ours to take. Reinforcements arrive within the week, 8 full divisions of your brethren. Twelve armoured regiments, 5 artillery regiments to bolster the guns already in place. We will have this sector for the dark gods. I will not accept failure in this matter. We will concentrate our forces on the strongest point of their defences, the position Hill 666." He gestured to the plan of Sector 666 as it appeared on the Hologlobe above the command station._

"_If we break them here, then the whole sector can be taken, you will ready your troops to attack within the week. Do not fail me in this, your general was given a death fitting his rank, you will surely perish under the torture of a thousand demons if I am failed again."_

_--_

_Yuri placed the crate on the table, everyone in the twenty man dorm crowded around, the dug out their temporary home for now. The dug outs each had ten twenty man dormitories, and were placed every one hundred metres along the trenchline. The mess hall, showers and latrines were dug into the hillside as were the dormitories, plascrete blocks were placed throughout the dugouts, giving them an appearance of squat, reinforced underground temples. Thick metal blast doors protected the entrances. All led via a network of tunnels into a central chamber, where an underground train system built into the surrounding hills could bring supplies, troops and munitions should the need arise. It was also an escape route for those needing to flee the area. _

_All reached in and took a bottle of the welcome cold beer, and a packet of lho sticks. It was a welcome break and a much needed halt to the monotony of standing in the trenches waiting to be shelled. _

_Yuri went and sat with Jen, perching on the end of her bed as she lay sleepily back on the bed._

"_I'm going to be a father you know." Yuri said with a glint of happiness in his eyes._

"_Since when?" Jen asked, suddenly sitting up and showing some interest._

"_Since now, about another six months."_

"_If we last that long, you saw what it was like out there."_

"_Now you are starting to sound like that doom and gloom merchant Niles." Yuri said with a frown._

"_I heard that, Velekov. Keep me out of your conversations." Niles said with a sad and hopeless look of the inevitable._

"_Sorry, Niles. But you do always talk about dying." Yuri said, trying not to grin too much._

"_How does Dina feel about this?" Jen asked, curious as to what they could be thinking considering where they were._

"_She's happy enough, I've told her to go to my family if anything happens to me."_

"_Your family, that's a good one, crooks and criminals the lot of them."_

"_They look after their own. She'll at least be safe." Yuri replied defensively, feeling a little hurt at the truth. _

"_Well you know what their like, I'm sure she'll be fine."_

"_What does that mean?"_

"_Nothing, forget it."_

"_Jen, what problem …"_

"_I was married to one of them, you know, before he was executed by a rival gang."_

_That's just how it is, Jen. You know that as well as I do."_

"_I suppose so, doesn't mean I have to like it though."_

_The chatter and drinking went on into the early hours. No one was looking forward to going back into the trenches tomorrow._

_--_

_Garrax Zhull strode through the base, inspecting and searching; making sure everything was to his liking. By midnight he had returned to the command centre, ten chaos marine captains were sat around the command station surveying the battle field. _

"_I will reserve a full division for this area alone, Hill 666 is vital to our gaining a foothold along their lines of defence. Two regiments of armour and an artillery regiment to provide support, and followed by my battle brothers. All will join the assault. Make certain all Land Raiders are operable. We will strike at their heart and tear it out. The assault will be led by the remaining prisoners, fanatical cultists will infiltrate the prisoners carrying explosive vests and collars, should they reach the enemy lines the results will be devastating to the enemy. They will be followed by the twenty thousand troops of 104__th__ Division, and the tanks of 3__rd__ and 6__th__ regiments. We follow at the rear, ready to strike should an opportunity present itself."_

_Garrax Zhull listened as the heavy artillery opened up once more, he would send them all to hell before he was finished, he was an ambitious commander, and hoped one day to be rewarded with daemonhood. A daemon prince of the chaos gods undivided, he would have his war, he would have blood and slaughter, he would build a throne of skulls from all those who opposed him. Soon they would look upon him as a god, of that he had no doubt._

_-- _


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 5:_

_Scouts_

"_I've got a bad feeling about today …" Niles said as the squad sat in the dug out's mess hall._

"_You've always got a bad feeling, Mather. What is it this time?" Nix cut in before the troubled trooper had a chance to finish._

"_If you'll let me speak. There's something in the air, I noticed it before they attacked us last time. I bet we are attacked again, I'll bet a year's wages on it." Niles said, seeming to gain in confidence the more he thought about it._

"_Something in the air, you're telling me, I was wondering what that smell was." Yuri said with a slight grin._

"_I'm serious; we could all be de…" Niles said but didn't have chance to finish._

"_We could all be dead today." The chorus of voices drowned out Niles as they began laughing at the doom merchant's usual line. He wasn't happy unless he said it at least ten times a day._

"_I was going to say by tonight, you see …"_

"_You see if we aren't." They continued mimicking, the laughter breaking the slight ill mood that had developed since the attack._

_Yuri tucked into his large serving of rations, it tasted plain and unappealing. It was hardly surprising of course, the front lines didn't serve up restaurant meals, no matter how much the troops complained about the powdered mush they got to eat every day. At least they had ale to wash it down. High Command had seen to it that they were well supplied with alcohol and smokes. _

_Sergeant Malk Sloane appeared moments later. "Velekov, Greer, seems like you've come to the attention of Lord Colonel Novachek, he wants to see you in the command bunker within the hour. Don't keep him waiting._

_Lord Colonel Dane Novachek studied the Hologlobe, painstakingly going over the plans, he turned momentarily to the man at his side. It was Major Jose Ferrera, the commander of the 23__rd__ Cadian Rangers, a Special Forces recon battalion who specialized in insertion behind the enemy lines. The 23__rd__ were attached to the 56__th__ Army Corps as one of their support battalions. He turned to the other side where Captain Kara Dennon, commander of the insertion platoon – 3__rd__ platoon, 1__st__ company stood. She was a tall plain woman with angular features, her hair cropped tight to her head as was required in the 23__rd__._

_Sergeant Sloane stood in the doorway to the command bunker, "Velekov and Greer are here to see you, Lord Colonel."_

_Yuri and Jen walked in, not knowing what to expect or why they had been singled out for this meeting. _

"_Thank you, Sergeant Sloane. Come in Corporal Greer, Trooper Velekov." The Lord Colonel said in an unusually familiar tone. Yuri thought it strange; he had barely heard the Colonel speak since joining the regiment._

"_I believe you are both familiar with this area?" The Lord Colonel questioned._

"_We both grew up near here, before the area was overrun, we moved to Kadis Hive soon after and have lived there since the invasion, sir." Jen replied, feeling it her duty to answer the question, seeing as how she had rank over her closest friend, Yuri. _

"_Good, we're in need of a few scouts, there's an exceptionally important mission being planned and you two will be needed." The Lord Colonel said with an air of matter of factness, as though they had already volunteered. _

"_You'll be accompanying the 23__rd__ Cadian Rangers Battalion, of which I am the commander." The man stood next to the Colonel spoke with the authority of a man who was used to being obeyed. Both Yuri and Jen noticed the Major's markings on his collar, which in itself marked him out as requiring their respect. They looked at each other unsure of whether they were meant to speak or wait to be spoken to._

"_Feel free to speak, we need to know if your knowledge of the area is such that you would be able to lead the battalion through Rorkers Forest and behind enemy lines."_

"_We know the forest well, sir. We grew up playing in there before the invasion."_

"_Could you lead a battalion of infantry through the forest in relative safety? And then accompany the strike platoon behind enemy lines? Then back into the forest where you'll meet back up with the rest of the battalion? You won't have to take part in the actual sabotage of the Behemoth Siege Guns, but we do need you to lead the troops to their destination. If you're up to the task I will let you know what we have planned." The Lord Colonel questioned quizzically._

"_Yes, sir, we know the area well enough."_

"_Then you'll know that the arch enemy has taken the rail lines and turned them into a means of delivering their heavy guns to the front lines. If these Behemoth Siege Guns are allowed any closer to the front lines, they will be within reach of Kadis Hive, which we suspect is their target destination in this area. If that's indeed the case, millions could die. We cannot stress how important this mission is to the Imperium. You would be doing a great service to the Emperor, although the choice is yours."_

"_Kadis Hive is our home, sir. We will do whatever is necessary to protect it." Jen replied determinedly._

"_Then it is settled. Major Ferrera and Captain Dennon will be able to fill you in on the details. You will be ready to leave by nightfall."_

_--_

_The following hours were spent in mind numbing detail going over the plans until they were drilled into the two scouts' brains. They learnt that the 23__rd__ was a Recon Battalion of fifteen hundred highly trained men and women who specialized in performing various acts of sabotage behind enemy lines. _

_The standard make up of a Ranger squad was 1 sergeant with las rifle, 1 corporal with las rifle and vox caster, 1 medic with las rifle, 1 trooper with plasma gun, for this mission all four troopers would carry missile tubes, sometimes referred to as treadfeathers. 4 troopers carried the long las rifles for which the recon battalion was most famous, and the final two carried a missile launcher and were armed with las pistols. The troopers all wore the familiar camo cloaks that were the backbone of the unit and the saving grace of many campaigns for the veteran troopers. Every trooper would also be equipped with frag and krak grenades._

_The platoon would also be accompanied by 20 siege engineers from the 45__th__ Engineers Battalion, another support unit of the 56__th__ Army. The engineers would be commanded by Lieutenant Varl Nguyen. Their job was to safely transport the explosives to the bridge and tunnel and set the charges once they arrived at their destination. They were to ensure the destruction of the tunnel, the bridge and most importantly the trains transporting the siege guns._

_They also learned that the bulk of the battalion would be securing Rorkers Forest for the platoon's return. The main mission would be undertaken by 3__rd__ platoon of 1__st__ company, under the command of Captain Kara Dennon._

_The target was a recently constructed rail bridge that passed through two miles of mountainous terrain, a rail tunnel built into the mountains. The construction had taken the chaos forces several years to complete, but they could now bring their Behemoth Siege Guns to within striking distance of the Hive City, two hundred miles away. The bridge was fifty miles behind enemy lines, and they would have to traverse difficult mountainous terrain if they were to reach the bridge in time for the rail mounted guns to pass through them on their way to the front lines. Intelligence suggested they had no more than one week to reach the bridge after which time the trains would have passed through and any attack would serve little purpose beyond stopping further reinforcements reaching the trenches, at least by rail. _

_Seven Chimera transport vehicles would be provided for the main mission, as well as two medical transports and an ammunition, repair, and supplies truck. The only problem was getting the vehicles through the treacherous terrain of Rorkers Forest. And then there was the problem of entering enemy territory. Orders were to abandon the vehicles if they compromised the mission in any way._

_Finally plans were underway to blow the trains from the air if the mission were to fail, but that would fail to neutralise the threat of more being brought, unless the bridge and tunnel were also destroyed._

_--_

_Yuri had to wonder at the wisdom of sending seventy troopers into such a death trap. But it wasn't his place to challenge his commander or the will of Cadian High Command. _

_He had spent the better part of an hour preparing his gear for the two week mission. Many had said he would not return. That it was a suicide mission, a one way ticket to hell. He had ignored their bleatings, trying to focus on the task at hand. Niles had been the worse, giving a lecture on everything that could go wrong until Yuri demanded to be left alone._

_The two of them said their goodbyes to their fellow squad and platoon mates. The 23__rd__ were waiting ready to leave as they left the trenches. There would be a ten mile trek behind their lines until they reached the closest point to the tip of Rorkers Forest. It was four hundred square miles of dense forest, although loggers had built a path through it many years earlier. Although what now occupied that path was anyone's guess. What could be taken for a certainty is that they would encounter enemy forces along the way. If the forest was heavily patrolled, the chances are they would become bogged down in a vicious firefight and never move beyond the woodland. They were hoping that the forest would have been mostly ignored by the enemy, the terrain mostly too much trouble to get anything but a small force through there._

_Yuri's mind wondered, he wished he was back at Field HQ with Dina. As he climbed aboard the troop truck, the task before them suddenly hit him. He knew he was up to the task he had been given. To be chosen to acts as scouts for such a veteran unit was at the very least an honour. He looked across to his friend Jen, as she too climbed up beside one of 3__rd__ platoon's young corporals. _

"_Corporal Leon Kruz." The corporal offered his hand to Jen and then to Yuri. Both took it, Jen looked perhaps a little to keen._

"_Corporal Jen Greer, he's Trooper Yuri Velekov." Jen replied as she held on to the young man's hand for a little too long._

"_I think he'd like his hand back, Jen. Are you feeling ok?" Yuri questioned._

"_Funny, at least he's a gentleman, more than I can expect from my own squad mates."_

_The convoy of trucks was off ten minutes later, the battalion fully loaded onto their transports, the Chimera's and support vehicles took the lead. _


	7. Chapter 7

_Just wondering how you think the story is going, and if there is any interest in me continuing with it either as it is or perhaps someone has suggestions that would improve the story._

_--_

_Chapter 6:_

_Rorkers Forest_

_Leon handed them both a camo cloak. Yuri and Jen took the camouflaged piece of clothing and fastened it at the neck, allowing it to fall around their uniforms. He then handed them a pair of sound suppressors, or silencers as they were more commonly known to fit onto the end of their las rifles. The mission was one of stealth and secrecy, a sabotage mission behind enemy lines. It would be imperative that they took every precaution while operating in enemy territory. Being able to kill silently was one way to ensure their mission would run smoothly. Lastly he handed them both a missile tube, several missiles, and a handful of frag and krak grenades. _

"_Just in case we run into trouble, save the missiles for any armour we encounter." Leon said as he smiled at Jen._

"_Will do. Are you expecting we'll run into trouble?" Yuri asked, looking at the pair and noticing the bond that already seemed to be developing between the two corporals._

"_Almost guaranteed, I can't see us being able to get fifty miles behind enemy lines and not meeting any chaos forces. We'll try to avoid them where we can, but we may have to engage if there's no other way through. Or if we stumble on them by accident. Although that wont be good. There's only just over seventy of us, not good when the enemy has hundreds of thousands of troops in the area."_

"_Makes you wonder why they don't send the whole battalion." Yuri replied naively. _

"_They'd be an easy target. Fifteen hundred troops would be noticed in anything but the cover of the forest. Best they act as our escorts until we leave the forest and then we'll have a much greater chance of success with just a small unit." Leon explained, recounting in his head the number of times he had fought the enemy on their own territory over the past ten years since joining the Rangers._

_They all watched as the convoy of trucks arrived at their destination. The leading five chimeras took off ahead of the convoy, crossing over the trenchline into the area of no mans land that offered the most cover. After a mile they had reached the edge of the forest and made straight for the old path that ran through the forest. It had been decided to send one platoon ahead of the battalion to see if the path and the woods were clear of enemies. The battalion could easily be called upon to assist them, but Major Ferrera didn't like the idea of sending his whole battalion into a certain death trap. _

"_I guess we'll find out soon enough whether there's anything waiting for us in those woods." Leon said, hoping they wouldn't encounter any problems so soon into the mission._

"_Shouldn't we be going with them, I mean they wanted us to act as scouts?" Yuri enquired, wondering exactly what part he would be playing in this dangerous endeavour. _

"_They're only following the path so far in. The platoon will disembark from the Chimera's and wait for you to arrive. I doubt the path has been maintained so we'll need to know where we are going once we get in there. I don't think the idea of us getting lost in four hundred square miles of woodland really appeals to the Major." Leon said with a hint of mischievousness. "Don't worry about it, they'll let you do your part soon enough."_

"_That's what I'm afraid of." Yuri replied with a fearful expression, though he was more worried about failing the Rangers than he was worried about the enemy._

_Ten minutes later the whole battalion had left the trucks and formed into lines behind the trenches. The defences here were lacking the plascrete reinforced buildings of Hill 666, and the defenders were not quite so numerous. But then all that faced them for twenty miles along the line was the edge of the forest, and attacks through the forest had been small and disorganised to date. _

_The vehicles for the mission pulled up alongside the battalion, waiting for 3__rd__ platoon of 1__st__ company to climb aboard. The Major's Chimera command vehicle pulled up alongside the two scouts and waited for them to climb inside. Within five minutes the small convoy was loaded up and ready to go. First they would wait for word from the recon Chimeras and then the battalion would move into position should everything be going according to plan. Finally the convoy of vehicles would bring up the rear and the troop transports would return to their Field HQ where all the transport companies for Sector 666 were based._

_Lieutenant Yan Grisholm ordered the driver forward, the path becoming ever more obscured the further in they got. By the time they were half a mile into the forest the platoon disembarked and began fanning out and moving into position. The forest was almost pitch black except for the headlights of the Chimeras and the hand held lights of the fifty troopers as they moved steadily though the undergrowth, looking for signs that the enemy were in the area. After covering the first mile they stopped, the Lieutenant had got out and acted as guide along the path for the recon vehicles._

_The word from the recon unit arrived moments later. They had penetrated a mile inside the forest and no sign of any enemy forces. The Major's command vehicle was the first to depart. It contained his command staff, officers and troopers who ensured the smooth running of the battalion. Yuri and Jen sat quietly among them, only the two commissars drew their attention. It was unsurprising; every trooper feared the watchful gaze and the furious wrath of the commissariat, the chief dispenser of military discipline in the Imperial Guard. _

_The battalion followed, moving into a quick jog across the mile of no man's land. If they were spotted this early on, their mission was over before it had even begun. To make matters worse a dense fog had descended on the area, the depths of the forest becoming ever more treacherous as the troopers could see no more than five feet ahead of them, even with the powerful beams their hand held torches had. _

_As the battalion reached the forest, they radioed back for the convoy to follow. The Major's command vehicle dropped Yuri and Jen about a mile inside the woods. They began following the path, hoping their old knowledge of the area would suffice so that they could safely guide the battalion through the forest._

_The slow procession of troopers and vehicles followed behind the scouts. If they found an enemy position in this fog they would undoubtedly be right in the middle of them. After ten miles of walking along the path and still no sign of the enemy it was decided to stop at the old logging camp in the centre of the woods. _

_Yuri moved along silently, aware that every step brought them closer to the enemy. Surprisingly the log camp was empty. It was big enough to house the entire battalion and the convoy. Major Ferrera had decided the unit would rest up for the night, and hopefully when they continued the fog would have lifted. The camp at least offered some respite from the overgrown underbrush that had grown across much of the path. The battalion settled in for what remained of the night. Sentries were posted every 10 metres around the camp. Even that was going to be unlikely to capture any determined stealthy attacker._

_--_

_The following morning was clear, much to the relief of the Major and his troops. If they were going to have to fight, fighting in such hazardous conditions was not something anyone really wanted to have to do. _

_Looking around the log camp in the daylight, the troops realized that it had recently, within the past week, been used by the forces of chaos. The tell tale signs such as waste and recently extinguished fires and the trail that led further into the forest was covered in footprints. This meant they would have to take every precaution and strike fast if the need arose. _

_The job of leading the battalion through the forest was made much simpler in the sunny daylight hours. Both Yuri and Jen had travelled the woods a hundred times or more in their youth, when the log camp employed over five hundred workers and the path was busy with the heavy traffic of the logging companies. It had shut almost a year after opening, abandoned to its fate as Abaddon's forces began rampaging across much of the planet. The deeper they penetrated the forest the easier the path got. It was obvious it had been heavily travelled recently. _

_Yuri lifted his clenched fist to halt the battalion, the sight of what lay ahead sent a shiver of panic through the young trooper. Much of the woodland had been cleared. Watch towers were built next to path, while a thick metal barrier was placed across the road. Yuri estimated over two hundred troops, probably traitor guardsmen or cultists, in his brief experience it was sometimes difficult to tell them apart._

_The major had to decide how to proceed, they had the element of surprise, they had superior numbers and firepower and yet this felt somehow wrong, as though attacking the outpost would bring them only more trouble than they could handle. In the end it was decided to attack. This certainly wouldn't be the last time they encountered enemy troops, so trying to avoid them was perhaps a little optimistic. He sent two companies forward, one on each side of the path. They would approach using their considerable stealth skills and camo cloaks to within one hundred metres, and then they would attack, leaving nothing alive. Snipers were given the order to take out officers and vox operators as a priority. Yuri and Jen would stay back with the Major, the attack would be led by the company commanders, Captains Yorrin and Fellsur. The five recon Chimeras would provide fire support once the attack was under way, with orders to take out the gunners in the two watch towers._

_The other three companies readied themselves for the fight. They would only intervene if things went badly. The major was hoping for zero casualties, but war was never so forgiving. He could only hope that no one paid the ultimate price for the success of this mission. He loved the battalion dearly, he knew every trooper by name, spending many hours, weeks and months going over every personnel file and spending time with his troops during training and when they were assigned to missions. _

_Yuri soon lost the two companies in the woods, their camo cloaks blending perfectly with the rough terrain of the forest. It spoke highly of their skill that one hundred metres into the woods they were virtually invisible to those behind them, and hopefully the enemy in front of them. _

_The two companies surrounded the clearing, cutting off all escape routes, the six hundred men and women said silent prayers to the God Emperor of Holy Terra, their wish only to come through this alive and in one piece. Six hundred weapons were trained on the two hundred cultists. The filthy scum were a pathetic looking band. Perhaps they weren't even part of the main chaos forces, and maybe they were bandits or murderers, although thinking there was much difference was almost heresy in the eyes of High Command and the Commissariat. _

_The slaughter began as one, each trooper choosing his target, within mere seconds half the defenders were dead or dying. They routed almost immediately, heading for the forest their howls of pain and screams of terror filled the air. Officers were executed with shots to the head, as were any vox operators in sight, the urgent need to keep them from calling for help was ever present in the minds of the attackers. Seeing they were surrounded, the cultists tried to surrender, but the Rangers were in no mood for taking prisoners. All were still angry and vengeful over the treatment of the Imperial Guard prisoners the enemy had forced to charge the allied trenches._

_They were massacred to the last man. It was doubtful even a shot had been fired in retaliation. The major thanked the emperor in a silent prayer, he knew these were the dregs of the chaos army, had they been troopers or chaos marines the outcome would have been very different. The Chimeras had made short work of the missile launchers mounted in the watch towers, in all it couldn't have gone better._

_The following hours were spent in much the same pursuit. A further four checkpoints, perhaps one every mile were slaughtered, no prisoners were taken and only twenty three troopers were injured in the process. With only several miles to go before they left the forest Yuri and Jen were sent forward with a squad of Rangers to ensure the way was clear. Half an hour later they were on the northern edge of the forest, the enemy positions could be seen in the distance. Yuri wondered about how they would get past the trenches, but also remembered a series of old sewage tunnels that ran from a treatment plant in the woods to a long destroyed town nearby, several miles past the enemy lines. It would mean the vehicles would have to remain behind, but that was always going to be a trouble getting them passed the trenches of the enemy._

_The convoy allowed its passengers to disembark. Yuri told the major of the sewage treatment plant and the chance that the tunnels would go beneath the trenches of the arch enemy and lead to the old town, although there would be little left of the town now, it having long since fallen as it was razed to the ground by the attacking forces._

_They left the battalion behind, it was decided the battalion would make its way back to the logging camp, and wait until such time as the platoon returned or their position was compromised._

_The trek to the treatment plant took about two hours through thick underbrush, a trail led the way, although it was hard to tell where it started and the forest ended._

_Another hour and they had entered the tunnels of the burnt out treatment plant, the wide tunnels big enough for an average sized man to walk along._

_Yuri knew the real mission began now, no longer did they have the firepower of an entire battalion at their backs. All they had were their wits, skill and guile to get them through the next two weeks. For the fifty men of 3__rd__ platoon, the twenty siege engineers, the team of four medics who had decided to come along on foot, bringing much of their equipment in hastily packed back packs. Also ten troopers carrying back packs full of power cells, grenades, explosives and supplies. They were armed only with las pistols but they weren't really there for the combat, but to be the pack mules of the mission. Also Captain Kara Dennon and the two commissars from the Majors personal staff, although the platoon already had its own commissar. Perhaps they thought that discipline would be tested to the maximum while they were out there. Lastly the captain's personal vox operator and Lieutenant Maxwell Kruger, second in command, necessary if the captain were to fall. The realization of what they could potentially face hit all of them._

_The stench hit them almost immediately, but the choice of a vile smell or certain death was not one that was hard to make. It would take several hours to reach the town, they could only pray that there was an exit once they reached the town and that it was undefended._

_--_


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 7:_

_The Ruins of Canndenburg_

_Yuri couldn't help himself from thinking that it was a relief the town of Canndenburg no longer pumped sewage through the sewage pipes in which they now travelled. The simple reason was the town no longer existed, at least not in any recognisable sense. It was small comfort about the lack of sewage when he considered the atrocities that must have been inflicted there on those who were too helpless or too slow to leave. The town used to be the nearest trading hub for dozens of villages in the area, over one hundred thousand people had made their home in Canndenburg._

_He wondered what had happened to the town and its inhabitants. Had the people had warning of the invasion like his own village, not more than ten miles from the town. He could only hope they had found sanctuary in Kadis Hive or elsewhere. Kadis had seen an influx of over five million refugees since the invasion had begun. An area over five hundred miles wide and fifteen hundred miles long of Cadian territory had been abandoned. And hundreds of millions, perhaps billions had been displaced as villages, towns, cities and hive cities all succumbed to the shear ferocity of Abaddon's onslaught of Cadia. _

_Still it made the going easier through the filth riddled tunnels. Lights shone into the darkness ahead. Yuri led the way, Jen just behind him as the unit made its way slowly through the tunnels. The going was slow. They were only too aware of the tales of chaos spawn showing up all over Cadia, no one knew how they managed to even get behind the frontlines, but dozens had been killed in recent months, one even in Kadis Hive market. There could be other predators too. Perhaps the chaos scum had even placed guards in the tunnels. It was a sobering thought that anything could exist in such filth. What beast would actually choose to make its home or lair in the sewage of humans, beyond the rats and carrion beasts. Yuri hoped the answer was nothing would choose to live there._

_Yuri went over the lay of the land in his head, tracing a path from Canndenburg to their destination fifty miles away. His father had been a keen hunter and had taken Yuri and his brothers hunting, Jen as well, being the tomboy she was at that age. They had learned much of the land in the years before the invasion. Now they were all safely out of the way in Kadis Hive. But he had to ask himself how long it could last. The chaos forces grew with every passing day, spewing forth from the Eye of Terror, an unstoppable army of chaos spawned filth and traitorous scum. _

_There was movement ahead. He readied his las rifle and gave the signal for contact. He fired one well aimed shot, instantly a shrill shriek echoed through the tunnels as the las shot punched through the rat's body. Yuri walked over to it, it was the size of a small dog. He shone the light ahead, hundreds, maybe thousands of the things swarmed over each other. Some fed where others had died. Within seconds the rat he had slain was being devoured. Yuri looked back at Captain Dennon, she turned and signalled to one of the siege engineers. The young man made his way to the front, flamer in hand._

_The smell of sewage was for now overtaken in its vile odour by the smell of burning flesh. Hundreds of burned rat carcasses lay scattered around the tunnel, falling victim to the superheated flames of the guardsman's flamer. Guardsman Aldren pressed on, scouring the entire tunnel floor with his weapon, certain death awaited anything that remained. Within moments the area was cleared as rats scattered in all directions to escape the flames. Moments later the unit had pressed on. Yuri retook point, even more aware now of the dangers that could lie ahead. _

_It had taken two hours through the twisting and turning tunnels before the unit arrived below Canndenburg. The map of the sewers and the writing on the wall told them they were below the old town hall. It was certain the hall was in ruins. If they couldn't force the manhole cover they would have to try others until they found one that led to the outside. It was decided to rest until nightfall. _

_--_

_Troopers Brun Farris and Luk Klindt were chosen from 1__st__ squad to see what threats might be lying in wait above them in the town of Canndenburg. The unit readied itself as the two troopers prepared to enter the town hall. The manhole cover had been eased off and they could now see the devastation that had been inflicted on the town hall. The ruins of the old picturesque building were an only too familiar sight for the veteran troopers. They had witnessed such bloody minded destruction in previous missions. Entire towns and cities emptied of their populations and either completely razed or left a ghostly shell of what they once were. _

_They slowly climbed the metal ladder leading up into the hall. All around lay the scattered debris of a building that had been shelled and fired upon by both bullets and lasers. All around the once extravagant surroundings had been stripped bear. Only the remains of both the building and those who had sheltered there were left to decorate the landscape. They inched there way forward, using their cloaks to blend with the shadows. Aware that the enemy could still be present in the town. It was obvious to the troopers that many of those who lay dead had been executed, point blank shots to the head. The thought angered them. These people would have been civilians. Those people who were unable to leave, mostly the weak, the sick and the old. _

_Brun worked his way through the building, Luk followed close behind. Their helmets were fitted with the typical infra red, low-light and rangefinder displays that told them of the presence of likely targets. Perfect for such stealth missions as the one they were undertaking. Immediately there attention was drawn to the revving of engines, the occasional shout and faint whisper of voices. _

_But what really drew their attention was the smell of flesh. This wasn't the burning of rat or animal flesh. This was the distinct odour of human death. They had unfortunately seen such things before. But they weren't expecting the charred remains of the dead thrown onto funeral pyres. They were expecting the familiar chaos driven insanity that led once right minded men to devour and cannibalize human victims. The thought was sickening, and both men had to delve deep into their will power not to retch their guts at the thought of living people being cooked and eaten alive. It was a terrifying thought, but nothing compared to the horrors they had seen and heard of since the invasion of Abaddon's legions. _

_It didn't take long for the odour of death to filter down to the waiting unit in the sewers. Those unused to the smell of this insane war were not quite as able to keep themselves in check as the two veteran troopers. Yuri was one of those unable to fathom the mind of their enemies. Once word had spread of the deathly odour, he had retched for at least a minute. The thought was simply too much for him to take. He had known some of these people. His father had taken the family to Canndenburg to trade their farm produce for much needed supplies. He wasn't the only one among the unit that decided someone or something was going to pay for this crime. War was one thing, but this was beyond many of their wildest imaginings._

_Brun noticed them almost immediately. Two guards stood in the doorway, their backs turned to the two Rangers. He signalled silently to Luk, gesturing for him to draw his blade. With the almost animalistic stealth and skill of trained predators they positioned themselves to attack. Both struck in unison, there blades finding the throats of the two traitor guardsmen. The ragged and filthy corpses dropped to the floor, helped by those who had just killed them. They searched the bodies for anything of use. But they found nothing beyond their weapons and dubious chunks of wrapped cold meat. The charred tattoo on one piece gave away the meat's true nature. They discarded the meat in disgust. Both promised that if they took prisoners, they would pay dearly for this atrocity. _

_They made their way through the building checking for signs of any more troopers or other likely enemies. The building was clear and unoccupied. The outside however was something that wasn't going to be so easily overcome or avoided. A quick estimate put the enemy strength at battalion level at least. They needed a distraction if they were going to go anywhere. Brun spoke quietly into his communicator, telling Captain Dennon of the situation and a likely target that would draw attention away from them. It was decided they would plant charges on six fuel trucks next to what looked like an ammunition dump. The captain couldn't help but wonder at the stupidity of whoever was responsible for this considerable slip up. The fuel trucks were at least five metres from the town hall, and hopefully far enough away to draw all attention to the exploding trucks and away from the unit as it made its getaway._

_As the best stealthers in the platoon, troopers Brun Farris and Luk Klindt were given the task of destroying the trucks with explosives provided by the siege engineers. They would have to take the scenic route, sticking to the shadows of buildings and vehicles. If they were discovered, they knew what their fate would be. But it was the best chance they had of a distraction big enough to draw all attention away from the town hall and its surroundings. _

_-- _

_The resulting explosion was breathtaking, even managing to drown out the sound of incoming and outgoing artillery bombardments. Traitor guardsmen ran everywhere, some for cover others straight into the fire storm. The captain had ordered everyone out of the sewers and ready to make a break for it. With the return of the two troopers they made their break as all attention was drawn to the unexpected destruction of the fuel trucks and the explosions that had engulfed the nearby ammunition dump. Thanks to the confusion, they were able to make a run to the edge of town, stopping only long enough to kill anything that got in their way. The confused chaos troopers were too bewildered by what was happening to realise until it was too late that the enemy was upon them._

_As the unit approached the outskirts of the town, their hearts sank. Row upon row of metal cages was home to thousands of ragged and sickly looking citizens of Canndenburg. They were crammed in like cattle, likely the next meal on the menu for the hungry and ravenous filth that had them caged. There was nothing the captain could think of that would ease their suffering. They were in no position to break them out. The mission was their priority and only the completion of the mission would result in sparing Kadis Hive from certain bombardment. Despite numerous protests the captain ordered them to leave the desperate almost zombie like citizens in their cages. Even if they freed them, where could they go. No matter how skilful and experienced the platoon was, it was no match for at least a battalion sized force. There was no other way. It broke the captain's heart but she knew the consequences of their failure would result in far more deaths. _

_The explosions behind them continued unabated. Whatever they had hit in the ammunition bunker it was supplying one hell of a spectacular show. Ten minutes later they were a mile from the town and out of sight of anyone that wasn't purposefully looking for them. Canndenburg burned; the captain prayed that the flames would save the poor retches of the town from a worse fate. _


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 8:_

_Canndenburg Resistance_

_Canndenburg continued to burn in the distance. It was inconceivable that the poor helpless souls locked in those cages wouldn't be caught up in the inferno that now engulfed the town. The members of the unit couldn't do more than spare a thought for the wretches of Canndenburg. And perhaps offer a prayer to the god emperor for a quick death. Judging by the flames raging out of control, they would have their final release from the clutches of the arch enemy. Captain Dennon had to stay focussed on the mission. She couldn't afford the luxury of regret or the desire to pity those unfortunate souls. Only the destruction of the Behemoth Siege Guns could make this mission worth the risk and the pain involved. _

_The unit made its way through the edge of Sharnswood Forest. The forest lay to the north of the town, twelve hundred square miles of dense woodland, unlike Rorkers it had never been logged by the loggers of Canndenburg. Captain Dennon took out her binoculars and stared into the night, back towards the town. Surprisingly the fire had not reached the cages and seemed confined to the southern part of the town for now. Traitor guardsmen worked frantically to douse the flames. _

_What drew her immediate attention was the convoy of vehicles travelling in column and leaving the town heading in the direction they had just travelled. She counted a dozen armoured half tracks packed, each packed with troops. They would be at the woods in a matter of minutes. Searchlights shone into the night, scanning the edge of the forest. Flare guns were fired into the night sky lighting up the entire area. Before Captain Dennon could issue orders to meet the oncoming enemy, the forward two half tracks and the back two were engulfed in flame, each being hit by missiles from an as yet unseen source. _

_Panic and confusion seemed to affect the half track drivers as they swerved wildly to avoid the burning and exploding vehicles. Again the convoy was hit from both sides, the flash of missiles being fired followed by the resulting explosions as the krak missiles impacted upon the half tracks. Only five remained now, disgorging their troops. Captain Dennon saw the burning bodies of traitor guardsmen as they fled the destroyed vehicles, themselves engulfed in flame. All eventually fell to the floor, nothing more than charred remains. Without warning the whole area around the half tracks lit up with the flashes of dozens of las rifles. Traitor Guardsmen tried to return fire, guided only by the flashes of light as they took a bloody toll on the chaos forces without them even seeing their hidden killers. _

_She watched as the drivers of the remaining vehicles were systematically slain one by one until all of the vehicles either remained still or swerved out of control and came to a halt as they sent traitor guardsmen diving for cover. The massacre that followed was quick, bloody and ruthless. Captain Dennon estimated the attacking force at approximately thirty attackers, but there was no way to be certain. She issued orders for the unit to deploy into squads one hundred metres inside the forest. She couldn't take the chance that the attackers could be hostile to them. Perhaps they were criminals or bandits, there was no point taking unnecessary risks. _

_Within minutes the attackers had closed in, a bloody hand to hand combat ensued as bayonets were drawn and the surviving traitor guardsmen were slaughtered to the last man. Captain Dennon smiled at the shear temerity of what had just happened, it took courage and skill to attack with such ferocity and precision, and perhaps a good dose of hatred. She could only think that they were either resistance fighters or Special Forces troopers that had been ordered to disrupt the enemy behind their lines._

_She continued to look on as they took the remaining five vehicles for themselves, and gathered up the weapons and useful belongings of the slain troopers. Minutes later they were driving away from the scene. A commotion coming from the woods spoke of trouble brewing. She wondered what was happening and wandered into the woods her helmet giving her an accurate reading of her troops' position in the woods. What drew her attention were those surrounding her troops. Whoever they were they were exceptionally good at stealth tactics to have managed to get the drop on the veteran Rangers. A standoff had developed and one of the men in an old officer's cap walked forward. _

"_Major-Commissar Braden Geldenoff of the 259__th__ Cadian Mechanized Infantry Regiment at your service, captain." The man said as he offered his hand to the weary captain._

"_Captain Kara Dennon of the 23__rd__ Cadian Rangers Battalion." She replied offering her hand in greeting, but still unsure at the wisdom of this approach. _

"_Pleased to meet you, captain. Now can you tell me what the hell you were thinking?" He answered and gestured towards Canndenburg by pointing his index finger and seeming to demand an answer._

"_We needed a distraction, major. Though I cannot discuss the specifics we are undertaking an important mission for Cadian High Command." She said with a hint of uneasiness at even revealing this titbit of information. _

"_And the people of Canndenburg, who are still imprisoned there. Included members of my own unit, what of them?" He questioned with an accusing glare._

"_If you're looking for a rescue party, major, I feel you will be sorely disappointed. All intelligence indicates an enemy assault is likely soon, any chance of a rescue died with that."_

"_There was never any hope of rescue, captain. We had resigned ourselves to that fact. But you have just made any attempt for us to rescue our people near impossible. They will pay the price for your brazen attack on their troops."_

"_And yet your own troops didn't seem to have any qualms about attacking the enemy troop convoy, major."_

"_We spotted an opportunity that could be exploited, we traded nothing for five half tracks mounted with heavy bolters, I'd say it was a fair trade, captain."_

"_And your regiment, major. Where are they?"_

"_They were mostly killed during the early days of the invasion. They tried hard to defend those people of Canndenburg that still remained in the town. But our forces were green recruits and heavily outnumbered, inevitably we were destroyed."_

"_And your men who just attacked the convoy, and these others?"_

"_We number no more than three hundred and thirty troops, remnants of the regiment. But also sewage workers, factory workers, farmers, hunters, police officers, even a few PDF troopers. They are the survivors of Canndenburg. We've been an effective resistance movement since the invasion. You've seen how good my men have got at what they do."_

"_How do we resolve this standoff, major?"_

"_We take you to our camp and help you with your mission. My men are the best you'll find for anything in this area. We know the land and the enemy positions. Although like you say, the number of enemy forces in the area has increased drastically over the past few weeks. It seems they are planning a major push all along their line."_

"_I'm not sure I can risk walking my entire unit into a camp, without knowing for certain …."_

"_You have no choice, captain. If truth be told we need your medics to take a look at some of my men, it seems they are suffering from some unknown illness, and my squad medics don't have the necessary skill or medicines to deal with the problem. And we can't just let you wander around without knowing what you are doing. It could mean that if you are captured you would reveal our position to the enemy."_

"_I don't know your position, major. I don't appreciate being threatened either."_

"_If you come along without any trouble we will allow you to keep your weapons. If you refuse we have a serious problem."_

"_You risk endangering this mission, major."_

"_I have asked little of you, captain. Surely you can see that we need your help. I can offer scouts and men for your journey, to wherever it happens to be."_

"_I will agree to this, major. I have no wish for this to end in bloodshed or the loss of any lives from either side."_

"_We are on the same side, captain. Have your troops follow us. I have no intention of herding you to our camp like wayward sheep."_

_Twenty miles along the twisting and turning path through the forest they had travelled before coming to the camp. Although calling it a path was stretching the imagination a little too far. Day was breaking over the treetop canopy, eight hours they had travelled virtually without the chance to stop. _

_Yuri wondered if there wasn't an easier path, the half tracks wouldn't have been able to take this route. He was tired, hungry and thirsty. He couldn't help but think that these Rangers and resistance fighters were nothing more than slave drivers for insisting on them travelling through the entire night without resting for more than a few minutes every hour._

_The camp reminded him of a crude version of Hill 666. It was dug out with sandbagged gun emplacements and trenches. The entire area had been logged, an amazing feet considering there was little in the way of heavy equipment with which to do the heavy lifting. Wooden shelters dug into the earth must be the makeshift homes of this bunch of rebel fighters. An area in the centre of the camp was set aside for vehicles. He noticed a road going off to the north of the camp and the five half tracks alongside an assortment of other vehicles._

_The unit was led to a long mess hall perhaps a hundred foot long and fifty foot wide built completely from cut logs. The captain, commissars, officers and sergeants went with the major to the command bunker._

_Yuri sat at one of the benches, five twenty man benches in a row ten feet apart. It was enough to sit the entire unit in the otherwise empty mess hall. Yuri sat across from Jen and Leon. _

"_This is my good friend, Trooper Erina Varghas." Leon said as the young woman sat down next to him. _

"_Hi, Erina." Jen said as she tucked into one of the packets of dried rations. Just add hot water and eat, it said on the packet. _

"_This is Yuri and Jen, the two scouts from the 35__th__." Leon carried on, gesturing to each in turn._

"_Pleased to meet you, Erina." Yuri said with an interested look in his eyes. Jen noticed and kicked him under the table. She looked at him and gave him a not too unfriendly stare. She was ever protective of her best friend Dina, Yuri's wife._

_Erina nodded and smiled at each of them and then sat down taking out one of her own ration packs. _

_Major-Commissar Braden Geldenoff sat back in his wooden chair taking in the people before him. He looked at captain Dennon seeming to be waiting for her to speak._


	10. Chapter 10

_**Anteaus and Solar Macharius, thank you both for your kind reviews, it makes all the difference whether I feel like carrying on or not. Also feel free to make suggestions and point out any mistakes.**_

_Chapter 9:_

_Friends & Allies_

_Captain Dennon looked at her people, following the line that had formed behind her. Major-Commissar Braden Geldenoff gestured to the rows of seats that were lined up in front of his desk. _

"_Please sit down." The major said still gesturing to the crude wooden stools. Captain Dennon nodded and watched as they took their seats. _

"_Can I offer you or your people refreshments, captain?" The major asked signalling to a young trooper waiting near the door they had just entered._

"_Thank you, major. Water will be fine." The captain replied._

_The major nodded to the trooper who disappeared out of the door and returned moments later with four jugs of water and enough glasses to go around everyone in the room. He walked forward carrying all quite expertly on an old wooden tray. He placed the tray on the desk and began pouring a glass of fresh water for everyone in the room. Ten minutes later he had completed his task and taken his position at the door._

"_Our rations are meagre, captain. But I can have food brought to your people if you wish." He offered quite genuinely but knew it was a burden their food stores couldn't bare if everyone was to be fed. _

"_Thank you, major. But we have enough food for the two weeks we have been given to complete our task and return to our side of the battle front."_

"_That is a relief, captain. As you can see we have little in the way of creature comforts here. Most of the food we have is either caught or stolen. Luckily we intercepted a large food convoy heading for Canndenburg only two weeks ago. It should be enough for at least a few months if we ration our supplies."_

"_What can we do for you, major? We are keen to get moving soon as our mission demands that speed is of the essence."_

"_As I said before, if you could spare the time. Many of our people require medical assistance. If you could leave your surgeon here for awhile, we would offer whatever resources we could manage in return."_

"_This is Surgeon Captain Leianna Ellefreya, what do you think, Captain Ellefreya. Can our mission spare your team?"_

"_You have your squad medics, but I wouldn't recommend leaving us behind, who knows what taints you may have to combat during your time behind enemy lines. We have only thirty miles to cover if I am correct. Perhaps we could rest here for one night, with the help of my team and your medics we should be able to help where possible."_

"_The other possibility is to split the team, captain." Senior Commissar Stephanos Lasseine said. He was the battalion's most senior commissariat officer._

"_I don't think we can afford the risk of separating what small force we have." 1__st__ Lieutenant Maxwell Kruger answered. He was the second in command of the mission and one of battalion commander Major Jose Ferrera's personal command staff._

"_Perhaps a smaller and more mobile force could cover the distance in a shorter period of time. Although that would be offset by the chance that you could run into trouble, a smaller unit isn't going to handle large patrols well." Lieutenant Xander Eramae said, he was the platoon commander of 3__rd__ platoon._

"_We could split into two groups. The first is the smaller group with two squads and ten siege engineers. The second group contains three squads and ten siege engineers, plus the ten munitions troopers. We can cover the thirty miles in one day, which means we safely remain here for three to four days and still have time to reach the site. If first team completes the mission before the second team sets off, a short code worded transmission means the mission is complete and they are free to remain in the camp. I would suggest splitting the two scouts we have, and perhaps taking a few of the resistance fighters along for good measure. _

_I would suggest the captain leads the 1__st__ group, along with myself. The second group should contain the medics and Surgeon Captain Ellefreya, also Lieutenants Kruger, Eramae, and Lieutenant Sashana Duveir from the siege engineers. Sergeants Vin Lacrosse and Elaina Zavaraux will take 1__st__ and 2__nd__ squad with the first group, Sergeant Joe Farradu from the 1__st__ squad of the siege engineers will accompany the first group with his squad. Sergeants Will Garronde, Jed Martinez, Karlos Chavez, will lead 3__rd__, 4__th__ and 5__th__ squads with the second group. _

_They will be accompanied by Sergeant Valana Deon of the siege engineers' 2__nd__ squad and Sergeant Akir Khan of the munitions troopers. Also accompanying the second group should be 3__rd__ Platoon Junior Commissar Arion Van Varden and Company Commissar Darnell Zoight." Senior Commissar Stephanos Lasseine said as he looked at each of the people in turn that he had mentioned. The room erupted into two groups, those in favour of splitting the unit and those against. _

_Captain Dennon seemed to take in what the commissar had said. She knew that the major trusted him implicitly. It had been the commissar's tough but fair methods that had got the battalion through many scrapes and battles in the past._

"_Thank you, Senior Commissar Lasseine. Your suggestion is a good one and the one we will follow. If we can help the resistance then we shall. If Major-Commissar Geldenoff is in agreement, I would like two four-man teams, one to accompany each group. If anything happens to our own scouts we are in trouble for finding our target location." The captain replied with a smile._

"_Of course, Captain Dennon. We would be only too happy to help you. Three days of medical treatment by your medics will go a long way towards helping my people. Although we number only three hundred and thirty fighters, we also have hundreds of non combatants in the camp. They are the old, women with young children, and the sick and wounded, they number almost five hundred people. They were all we could save from the attack on Canndenburg."_

"_Then it is settled. The 1__st__ group will remain here until dusk and then make our way north to the edge of the woods. Once nightfall is upon us we will continue our journey, hopefully one or two nights will be enough to reach our destination. You must understand, major, I can't reveal our target location."_

"_That is not a problem, captain. My men will serve you well, just be sure to bring them back in one piece, we need all the help we can get if we are ever to reach the Imperium's lines and be gone from this place. I can only hope and pray to the god emperor that you will succeed and we will encounter no problems ourselves."_

"_We will endeavour to bring everyone back safely, major. We will also have to devise some kind of plan to help your people back behind our lines."_

"_I'm not certain it will be possible, captain. We are sitting on top of an entire battalion, and no doubt they will have been reinforced by tomorrow."_

"_If there is a way, major, then we will find it. But our mission takes precedence over everything else. Needless to say that many will suffer if we should fail."_

"_I can appreciate your predicament, captain. But we are in dire need of both medicine and supplies. It's imperative that we make an attempt within the next two months, as by then our supplies will be depleted, and the enemy may have already found our location. I long to get back to fighting with a combat regiment, we have much to wish revenge on our arch enemy for."_

_The following hours were spent in painstaking detail going over the plans the unit had in mind for the destruction of the siege guns. The major and his people had left the unit's officers to their planning. Yuri and Jen were summoned so as to give an accurate picture of their destination. The teams of resistance fighters that would accompany the unit on its mission would only be informed of the destination once they were clear of the camp. The captain wanted to trust the resistance, but they were still an unknown element that could not be totally depended upon to perform there part in the mission. _

_Yuri was dismayed to say the least. He couldn't ever remember being separated from his best friend Jen. They had been inseparable almost from birth. Now he was expected to accompany the first group, while Jen would lead the second. He didn't want to think that this was a bad omen, but couldn't help but think things could only get worse now. In truth he had to admit to being scared. Jen was the brave one, the tough street fighter that all had respected and the one with the reputation among the street gangs. Yuri was the faceman, the rogue, the thief and scoundrel. He had always relied on Jen's ruthlessness to get them through every situation that couldn't be talked through or schemed out of. _

_--_

_The mood among the unit was one of quiet reservation. Not all agreed with the decision to split their forces. Dusk was fast approaching and soon it would be time for the first group to depart on their mission. Surgeon Captain Ellefreya had already begun her examination of the sick, wounded and dying. She reckoned on thirty two critical cases that needed either immediate surgery or were beyond help. There were another one hundred and sixty four cases of minor ailments and malnutrition. She would have her work cut out attending to everyone in the camp and new that the following days were critical if most of them were to either be saved or prevented from getting worse. The last thing she wanted was to see the health of her patients deteriorating. _

_Yuri wandered in on Jen and Leon, they had shared a kiss. Leon was to go with the first group, as he was from 1__st__ squad. Yuri smiled; he would have to keep the corporal out of trouble for Jen's sake. He was impressed, he had never seen anyone get close to Jen so quickly. _

"_You two look comfortable, anything I should know about?" Yuri said with a mischievous smile._

"_We were just …" Jen began but was quickly interrupted. Captain Dennon stood in the doorway to the mess hall._

"_We leave within the hour, check your weapons and equipment. We won't be returning until the mission is completed."_

_The following hour was spent in preparation as 1__st__ and 2nd squad along with 1__st__ squad of the siege engineers prepared themselves to depart. Four resistance fighters entered the mess hall already prepared to depart. _

"_Don't go getting yourself killed without me there to save your miserable hide." Jen said as she hugged Yuri._

"_I'll do my best, Jen. I'll do my best to keep your boyfriend out of trouble as well."_

"_He's not my …" She protested almost too loudly._

_Ten minutes later the first group had moved out of the camp, Yuri found himself among the resistance fighters as they made their way through the forest._


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter 10:_

_Deathly Infestation_

_They had travelled across ten miles of woodland through dense undergrowth. It had taken them six hours along winding almost none existent paths. But it had been the best direction to travel to bring them out of the woods and in line with their target destination. Captain Dennon had now given their target to Yuri and the four resistance fighters, all knew the area well enough to be of use in finding their target. They had just twenty miles to cover and six days to reach their destination. The second group would leave the resistance fighters' camp within the next three days unless they received the 'Behemoth Annihilated' codeword for mission complete. _

_Now the hard work began. According to the resistance fighters, patrols in the area would be heavy and they would have to travel around the town of Farringdon, which lay in the path of the direct route to their destination. Farringdon had been a small city of over a quarter of a million people. According to them it was now a ghost town, at least in terms of the original residents. They spoke of the place now as though it had been spewed forth from the bowels of the Nine Hells. It was said the dead walked the streets of Farringdon. Even the mortal allies of the Ruinous Powers were loathe to go anywhere near the place, all except the dreaded traitor space marines of The Black Legion. _

_If Canndenburg seemed a sorry and desperate place, what they could expect in Farringdon would leave them in no doubt that the forces of chaos were present on Cadia. Of that there would be no doubt whatsoever. The journey would have an extra five miles added to the distance if they were to avoid the town's outskirts completely. It would take them through the crop fields of Farringdon and into the heavily logged Farringdon Forest. The lumber mills of the massive forest were renowned for producing the finest wood in the region. _

_That had been before the invasion, little remained now. Only the poor slave wretches remained. They were forced into serving their chaos masters, working the fields for the armies of the ruinous powers. Of course no untainted human could consume the vile bio food grown in the fields of chaos. Not if it wanted to remain untainted. It was thought that even inhaling the stench that came off the fields was enough to taint those unfortunate to breathe in the noxious gasses that the genetically modified crops produced. Everyone in the unit would have to don their protective gear, environment suits and gas masks. It was the only way to ensure they weren't made susceptible to the ruination suffered by many others. _

_Captain Dennon scanned the horizon. The edge of the forest at least provided the cover that would keep them safe from detection. Beyond the forest were miles of open terrain. She looked through the binoculars, trying to spot any sign of the enemy in the pitch black darkness. She made out an outpost some two point three miles to the north, and apparently two miles south of the town of Farringdon. She could make out only six guards, but for an outpost of that size, it was likely there would be thirty or more enemy troopers present. She wasn't about to risk her unit on pointless firefights._

_If the sewers of Canndenburg were particularly disgusting, the vile stench drifting on the wind from the town of Farringdon was inhumanly worse than anything anyone of them had ever encountered in their lives. The air was thick with the odours of excrement and vomit, of waste and rot. Troopers were emptying their stomachs, throwing up their last meal as they inhaled the terrible stench. The air was thick enough to taste. Captain Dennon issued the order for everyone to don their protective gear. There was no telling what could produce such a powerful odour and from such a distance. She had decided not to take the chance that the air itself could be as deadly as the minions of the chaos gods. _

_Once the unit was geared up for the journey ahead, hopefully protected from whatever was causing the foul stench from Farringdon, they were ready to go. Yuri and the resistance fighters had drawn up a route through the fields, Captain Dennon had checked the satellite navigation maps on her hand held display unit and agreed with the route they would take. It was now midnight; they had perhaps seven to eight hours before sun up. Their night vision goggles attached to their helmets provided the means to traverse the pitch black darkness that engulfed the landscape. One final weapons check and they began to make their way across the open grasslands that met the forest they had just left. _

_For five miles they followed the edge of the forest, it was enough to allow them to travel around the outskirts of Farringdon. They headed towards an old path lined with hedgerows, according to the resistance fighters it should be safe to follow it into the fields, as it was only really used by farmers taking their crops to market. They followed the path for two miles until they reached the edge of the fields. Captain Dennon ordered them all down and into cover. The earth took on a strange, almost alien look. In place of soil and regular crops was a mass of pulsing veins and pustules. The field seemed almost alive. For as far as they could make out the fields had been transformed into a chaotic mass of almost living tissue. To their horror, what they realised they had stumbled upon was a crop of growing living flesh and blood. No one asked how they could do such a thing, all were too horrified to speak or even think. The flesh seemed almost diseased, covered in blisters and sores. Whoever this crop was intended for was way beyond rational human thought. _

_The captain signed to the unit, 'troops ahead.' Several ten man patrols were wandering through the field using searchlights and dogs to locate something. The captain and the rest of the unit could only guess at who they might be looking for. It meant if they were to stay out of sight and avoid combat, they would have to make a further detour. They would have to skirt around the fields and try to reach Farringdon Forest at a different location. They could risk taking out the enemy troopers, but missing patrols tended to bring out the enemy forces in large numbers. It came back to their mission, nothing was to jeopardise the goal of the mission, including attacking targets that could be avoided. In one respect, it meant they could avoid walking through the fields of flesh, but it would add yet more time and distance to their journey. _

_An hour later they had avoided the numerous patrols and managed to sneak into Farringdon Forest unnoticed. _

_--_

_The woodlands offered no respite from the fields of flesh. Everywhere they looked the trees and undergrowth had taken on the same deathly infestation that afflicted the fields of Farringdon. Pus filled sores burst underfoot as they walked through the blighted woodlands. It became quite apparent what they had smelled earlier that night. If Farringdon was in the same state, it must have been a horrifying place indeed. The one question remained in everyone's thoughts, what had happened to all the people who had made their home in Farringdon. _

_Screams in the distance brought everyone to a halt. Corporal Leon Kruz and Trooper Erina Varghas were ordered forward, while the rest of the unit took up firing positions as they spread out into the forest. The two troopers walked slowly forward for over two hundred metres and stopped as they came upon a large clearing. Dozens of wooden buildings dotted the clearing, surrounding a much larger building. It was impossible in the dark to distinguish just what purpose the buildings served, but it was well known there were many lumber camps throughout the forest. The place seemed deserted at first. Just as they were about to head into the camp a figure appeared from one of the doorways. He turned his back to them and urinated on the side of the building. He seemed to shout something at what they presumed was someone inside the building. The screams continued unabated, followed by loud and raucous laughter. _

_Seconds later the figure appeared once more. He was dragging a human male kicking and screaming by his hair. The victim appeared to be almost naked and from the look of him he had suffered greatly at the hands of his tormentors. The victim was ordered onto his knees. The figure stood over him, auto pistol in hand. Before they could decide on a course of action, the man was shot point blank through the head. He slumped to the floor where the ground itself seemed to be absorbing him into the sea of flesh that covered everything in sight. The figure stood over him laughing and then fired twice more, just to make certain his victim was truly dead. The screaming continued from inside the building._

"_Captain, we have at least one hostile, he has just executed a prisoner." Leon said over the comm-link._

"_Hold your position, corporal Kruz. I'd like to take a look before we move further …" Suddenly the comm link went dead as the familiar sound of automatic weapon could be heard on the other side. _

_Immediately the sound of weapons fire alerted those inside the buildings. Four figures appeared in the doorway, stopping momentarily as they listened for the sound of weapons fire. Leon aimed his las rifle, then switched to full auto and signalled to Erina to do the same. The night lit up moments later as the four figures were blown apart by the surprise attack. They waited for more to appear but none came._

_Captain Dennon dived for cover along with the rest of the unit as the patrol opened fire. Trooper Harven of 1__st__ squad was too slow finding cover as bullets tore through his neck, abdomen and left leg. He slumped to the floor dead as rounds continued to be pumped into him. The unit returned fire almost as one. Long las rifles found there targets with ease as the unit's snipers took a heavy toll on the attacking chaos troopers. The rest of the unit opened up with las rifles and las pistols. Shouting, screaming and swearing echoed throughout the forest as chaos troopers were torn to pieces by the onslaught. _

_Trooper Garan of 1__st__ squad dropped his las rifle involuntarily and looked down to see the blood pumping out of his chest, seconds later he was screaming for a medic. Trooper Redditch of second squad was torn apart by a traitor guardsman carrying a heavy bolter. His head and body exploded in a hail of heavy bolter shells before the chaos trooper was silenced forever by a sniper's hot-shot round to the head. Captain Dennon ducked just in time as a murderous volley of auto cannon rounds exploded into the tree she was hiding behind. The captain returned fire seconds later; her las pistol punching bloody holes through the chaos trooper's head. _

_Minutes later the chaos troopers lay dead. There were sixteen in total, all dressed in the ragged uniforms of Cadian deserters. Trooper Garan died before the medic got to him. The captain issued orders to reclaim what they could from the bodies of her fallen troopers. There would be no time for burial they had to get out of there before the patrol was missed._

"_Corporal Kruz, report." The captain said into her comm link._

"_We have four dead hostiles, no one else in sight but the screaming continues from inside the building we've found. Shall we enter?"_

"_We'll be with you in a few minutes, wait until we arrive."_

"_Sir." _

_Several minutes later the unit had reached the two scouts. Leon led the unit into the camp. _


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter 11:**_

_**Target in Sight**_

_The sight that met them as they walked into the building from where the four traitor guardsmen had come moments earlier was one of butchery and carnage. The still screaming form of their prisoner was laid out on a table surrounded by various sharp implements and tools, as well as several syringes. At a guess Captain Dennon thought that whatever had been injected was to ensure the prisoner didn't lose consciousness while he was being tortured. _

_The blood soaked room had a somewhat eerie and horrific feel to it. It had once been a loggers hut, but now the only thing carried out there was the merciless torture and murder of helpless prisoners. Captain Dennon wondered at the point of it all, surely these subhuman scum were merely sating their lust for bloodletting. These men couldn't possibly have anything worth saying to their captives. In fact they didn't even look as though they were military. _

_Both of the man's legs had been severed below the knee, the blood loss was already taking its toll and it was obvious he wouldn't last much longer. He was beyond the help of the squad medics, even a surgeon would have been hard pressed to do anything but ease the man's pain until he died. Senior Commissar Stephanos Lasseine stepped forward, the look on the man's face was hopeful for a second even through the excruciating pain he had suffered. But the realization of what the commissar had planned for him soon reduced him to a quivering wreck. The commissar drew his pistol, and pointed it towards the man's head. _

"_Wait, Commissar. He may have useful information." Captain Dennon said as the man began to plead for his life._

"_He's just one of the woodsmen, Captain Dennon. I doubt he has anything useful to say. It's better to ease his suffering now than allow him to die slowly from blood loss. There is little we can do for him and we can't take him with us even if he were able to walk which he quite clearly won't ever be doing again."_

_The captain walked up to the side of the table and looked down at the man. The shear desperation in his eyes was hauntingly familiar, he was scared of death but he wanted the pain to stop. _

"_Who are you?" The captain asked._

"_Please, don't kill me. Take me with you." The man pleaded._

_The captain remained still as the man grasped her arm, the look in his eyes was one of utter despair, but she could tell he knew that his time would soon be over. _

"_Can you tell us anything about the Chaos Forces in the area?"_

"_I don't know anything. We were hiding out for months before they found us …" The man said before letting out another series of long and painful screams. The captain felt the grip on her arm tighten as the man went into shock and began convulsing on the table. Spittle ran down his chin as he attempted to speak but couldn't find the strength to get out his words._

_The commissar stepped forward and without hesitation lifted his las pistol to the man's head. He fired once, the blast piercing the man's skull and burning a hole through the other side at such a close range. The man died instantly, finally free from his torment._

"_We'll search the other buildings for any more prisoners. Send four fire teams of four men each to check the area for any sign of enemy forces or remaining prisoners. Hopefully it will be clear and we can be on our way." The captain said to the sergeants of 1__st__ and 2__nd__ squads._

_An hour later every building had been searched and revealed nothing more than dust and cobweb filled rooms that had obviously not been used for many months. The captain had no intention of making camp there. If the traitor guardsmen were using it then it stood to reason that a larger force was probably close by, unless these men were simply deserters from both sides. _

_The journey through the forest had taken another half a day to complete, but they were now just mere miles from their destination. Captain Dennon looked from her position at the edge of the woods out over the lake and up the steep cliffs to the rail tracks. Her magnoculars gave an excellent view of the surrounding landscape. They also gave her the bad news that the entire railway track between the two tunnels was guarded by heavy reinforced pillboxes, no doubt guarded by heavy weapons teams. This would mean almost certainly that their plans would now be of no use. _

_The unit was too small to storm the positions. It would have taken a battalion sized force with over thirty of the pillboxes looking out over the lake from the top of the steep cliffs waiting to rain down death on anyone foolish enough to attack them head on. The captain felt a great deal of disappointment, to have come all this way and to be denied their target at the last moment. It meant they would have to either wait for the second team to arrive and they would have to devise a plan to take out the pillboxes with Melta Bombs or get into position so that they could guide in an airstrike to destroy the Behemoth Guns with laser guided bombs. Either way they would be spending almost the next week within sight of their target._

_The first thing was to find somewhere concealed to make camp, the mountainous terrain was said to contain many cave systems, they would be perfect for staying out of sight while the unit decided on how they would complete their mission. Several hours of searching revealed a deep cave system that would be their base camp for the next week until they either had a workable plan or until they could call in an airstrike onto the railguns before they could reach the front lines. _

_-- _

_Atlantica _

_Atlantica swarmed with activity. All of the twelve major hives were well into their preparations to supply the Imperium with their designated quota of troops and materials. All except Krassus Hive and Sirion Hive were training their hundreds of thousands of troops. Thousands of military vehicles were pouring off the production lines courtesy of the massive industrial hive cities' capacity to keep up a seemingly endless supply to meet their obligations as dictated by Holy Terra. _

_In a matter of mere weeks millions had been and were still being inducted into the Imperial Guard. The propaganda surrounding The Founding was designed to play up the pride and honour of serving the Imperium. The status that Atlantica would earn for itself among the more than a million worlds of the Imperium would be great indeed. The next two years would be the largest Founding in the planet's history. Millions of troops would be trained as Imperial Guardsmen for the Cadian frontlines in the hope of finally breaking Abaddon's forces. _

_Lord Militant General Gaius Jediah Akkeron looked to Governor General Marnos Ephastus as he studied the data screen on the two traitor hives. Krassus Hive showed up on the live satellite feed. General Akkeron studied the defences as he prepared to instruct his chiefs of staff on the massive deployment ahead. _

_Fifty million troops waited in orbit for the order to strike at the heart of the traitor hives. Twenty titan legions, eight hundred thousand armoured fighting vehicles and two hundred thousand tanks. The troops had originally been designated as reinforcements for Cadia, but the rot affecting Atlantica needed rooting out before it had the chance to spread. The Lord Militant General already had his suspicions as did Governor General Ephastus. The two hives had isolated themselves for too long. No one who entered the hives ever returned, and all contact had been lost with the ruling houses. _

_Krassus Hive sweltered under the cover of the citywide energy shield. Three hundred million citizens made their home in the traitorous city of Krassus. Noble House Krassus owned everything, including the people of the hive. Everywhere one looked Krassus hive prepared for war. Everywhere throughout the city, millions of planetary defence troopers mobilized on the order of High Lord Krassus. For three years the hive had in secret been building its armies, now the time was right to strike. _

_The hated Imperium had dared to give Noble House Krassus a warning, 'provide troops or face the consequences'. But Krassus hive was already in the strong iron grip of chaos. Long had the noble family secretly worshipped the Lord of Decay. Now the chaos god's banners and symbols were everywhere. Citizens were branded with the marks of chaos, three hundred million souls lost to the Ruinous Powers._

_Agent Alexandria Lopez walked the streets of Krassus dressed in the now customary brown and green robes of the hive. Disease and decay were everywhere, the plague that afflicted the hive was a slow and painful degeneration of the body until the people were little more than cannibalistic zombies forced to obey their masters' every wish. Everywhere Alexandria looked the desperation was repeated time and again. _

_Agent Lopez blended into the crowds of desperate citizens, mobilizing troops and militiamen. It was imperative that she contact Fleet Command with her latest intelligence report. She had been a sleeper agent for the past five years. The governor general had for a long time suspected the hive of conspiracy with the dark powers and now they had the proof they required. All they had to do was get the information passed to the governor general. But with the hive under martial law, it wasn't going to be easy. Neither was breaking out, especially through the city's energy shield. But her personal safety was secondary to getting the information out. _

_Sirion Hive had been under martial law for the past few months, ever since the word of the imminent arrival of an Imperial Fleet began making the rounds in the royal courts of the fourteen main hive cities. Two hundred and eighty million citizens had surrendered to the terrible bloodthirsty brutality of Khorne. Contact with Sirion hive had been lost soon after martial law went into effect. The agents of the governor general had long since been murdered. Everything and everyone was under suspicion in the hive. The citizens now only answered to High Priest Tynathle Rauxanus, the new ruler of Sirion Hive and a fanatically devout worshipper of Khorne, not to mention the host to a demon prince of the blood god. _

_The fleet readied itself for planetfall, fifty thousand transport ships, one hundred thousand or more dropships and several million drop pods. The idea was to be fast and strike before either of the two hives could bring their armies to full readiness. _

_--_


End file.
